Absolutely

Home Tours: Skandium’s Eco Townhouse

eco
Contents

Inside Skandium’s eco townhouse the focus is not only on sustainability and quality but also on bold colour. HOME takes a tour

Words Pendle Harte

In connection with the London Design Festival, Frame Award-winning Danish furniture company Montana transformed Skandium’s four-story townhouse in South Kensington into an ‘eco townhouse’. The entire house was populated exclusively with Scandinavian design products created with a level of ethical commitment, which could range from sustainably sourced materials to responsible manufacture or corporate responsibility initiatives. As Denmark’s oldest furniture family, Montana was invited by Skandium to implement the transformation of the location.

An ever-increasing number of people are looking to minimize environmental impact when decorating their homes, turning to sustainable technology and interior and architectural innovation. Thus, Skandium aims not just to curate a collection of responsible design, but to demonstrate that it can be a vibrant, beautiful, and liveable solution to interior design.

To that effect, Montana enlisted architect Helena Laursen, recipient of the Frame Award Milan, to design two of the floors in their signature bold, captivating colour palette, while Skagerak transformed the basement and garden using their collection of FSC-certified furniture designed by a contingent of 30 international designers and collaborators.

All floors were finished with furniture, lighting and accessories from Skandium’s catalogue, and each piece accompanied with their individual story of sustainability. Both Montana and Skagerat believe that the word “sustainability” has become overused and is starting to lose its impact. Both interpret the idea of “consequences” as an emphasis on making quality products that last through generations.“We have always thought that Montana will only survive if the business runs on good values, so to speak, and maintains high ethical standards. Companies are the most powerful drivers in terms of changing the world to a better place. Companies are no longer measured in terms of profit or being the world’s best. They are increasingly being measured by being best for the world.

“This is our philosophy, too,” says Joakim Lassen, Montana’s CEO. “Sustainability is profitable. That is why we work according to high quality standards ensuring that our furniture will survive from generation to generation and can be moved from room to room as the home’s needs change.”Montana only used PEFC certified wood for the furniture, making sure that new trees are planted and no children are involved in the production process anywhere in the supply chain. Since 2007, Montana has exclusively used water-based lacquer colours, which neither smell nor contain solvents.

In London the world comes together and Montana took inspiration from the city’s multicultural nature. Some of London’s most colourful communities involve Indian and Arabic cultures and their vibrant and powerful colour universes – block colours, draped textiles and spices draws you in and creates a vibe of Marrakesh and India, activating all senses and underlining the theme of sustainability.

Charlie Perry, Managing Director of Skandium, says: “Scandinavian suppliers stand head and shoulders above the rest of the world when it comes to mitigating the environmental and even social impact of their products, and as such, Skandium is populated with superlative examples of sustainable, responsible design.”

skandium.com

Share this Article

Written by
Must Read

You May Also Like

Did you know you can now buy or subscribe to our printed issues?

EAT, DRINK, WIN!

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to our monthly newsletter to find out what’s on your local area, exclusive competitions, the latest launches and much more!

Select the areas you want to hear about