When we sit down to chat over video call with Jennifer and Halvor Thorsen—the husband-and-wife design duo behind the furniture brand, Thorsønn—they are sat in their showroom on Marisdalsveien, Oslo.
“It’s been a long road,” Jennifer says. “It’s always been a dream to have a showroom. But when we opened it in December 2019, we obviously had to close again because of the pandemic. Now we finally have a place where we can meet our customers. They can book a meeting to stop in and drink a coffee while they see our furniture in person. It’s just really wonderful!”
The incredible, joyful thing about talking to Jennifer and Halvor is their real enthusiasm for what they do—and their desire to share it. Between interruptions from the couple’s curious dog and a knock at their showroom door, they proudly show me around their space and talk me through what Thorsønn has been up to since they founded the design brand in 2013.
“We like to say that Designers’ Saturday was our official public ‘debut’, back in 2015,” Halvor says. “But already then, we had a sofa, a dining sofa, a bed, and a lounge chair. Thorsønn really began a little earlier, with Ull & Tre, our lounge sofa.”
This sofa, equipped with drawers underneath, came into being as a project for the couple’s family home, they explain. Jennifer, an interior architect, and Halvor, an industrial designer, couldn’t find a sofa with storage that they wanted on the market—and so they built one themselves. Once it was complete, a client requested the sofa, and then a friend. Then, one thing led to another and Thorsønn was born.
“We thought that if we wanted it, maybe others would too,” Jennifer continues. “Sure enough, when we started Thorsønn, there was so much interest! The sofa has now evolved as a response to different client requests—it has a side table with an integrated power outlet, a floor pillow that fits onto the table as an extra seat, and a range of different woods or textiles. We have a close relationship with all our buyers and each sofa is made to order. We’re really not a mass-production company!”
Now, at this year Designers’ Saturday—six years after their debut—Thorsønn were invited to exhibit their products at the National Museum alongside Norwegian brands they greatly admire, like Fjordfiesta and LK Hjelle.
What is the process behind Thorsønn’s products? That’s another thing of which Jennifer and Halvor are proud.
“Well, Jennifer usually has the great ideas and then I do the details of the designs,” Halvor explains. “Then the production is all done locally. Everything gets built about an hour from Oslo, so we can go and discuss details with the carpenters or the upholsterers. This is something really important to us.”
Yet, in recent years, Thorsønn’s practice has shifted emphasis a little.
“Now, we’re working to cut back on waste,” Jennifer explains. “That means using waste wood in our furniture and scraps and offcuts from fabric rolls. For example, our scrap accessories collection is all made from post-production waste fabrics, from our own production and from a local fashion house, Lillunn. It’s a completely different way of working when you use scrap material. Each piece is carefully curated and unique—but it’s a funny contradiction, because when products are made with waste, they actually have a higher value than if they were made from new materials!”
Finally, we ask what Thorsønn’s plans are for the future—and they laugh.
“The thing is,” Halvor says, “we’re designers, not salespeople. We are driven by our products and our projects.”
“We want to continue working with post-production waste,” Jennifer adds. “When you are creating new pieces that will be in the world you have a responsibility to do it in a sustainable way. We’re aware of where our wood and materials are coming from, we design and make everything in Norway, and we’re really close to everyone involved in the production. This is how we want to continue making furniture into the future.”
