New collaboration with Danish interior blogger Bungalow 5
Stig Percy x Bungalow 5
Our love for good, honest and simple Scandinavian design goes beyond footwear. We want to enhance other talents within the Scandinavian design world that share the Stig Percy values and vision. Hence, we invited the inspiring Danish interior blogger Allan Torp, aka Bungalow 5, to do an exciting design collaboration with us. He is a busy man splitting his time between Copenhagen and L.A. who runs Denmark’s biggest interior design blog, we had a little chat with Allan to talk about his vision of Scandinavian design in the world, his newly released book on the topic and the pair of sneakers that he is working on with us!
Tell me about yourself, how would you summarize yourself?
I am Allan, 30 something Copenhagen and LA Dweller interiors friend, car-loving self-confessed shoe addict, health freak and world traveller with a taste for delicious foods. I am drawn to the simple, but good and carefree life.
You say you love design in all of its forms, how did you get into interior design?
I actually started my adult life training to be an accountant, but quickly found it way too boring for me. I found comfort in the fashion industry, which I loved in my 20s, but as it too became unfashionable, I found interior. When I started Bungalow5.dk, there was not really any other Danish interior bloggers out there, so I thought, why not start one? I had just finished the renovation of my first real apartment, so it seemed perfect to start sharing my ideas with the world.
Why do you think your design blog became so popular? What were you doing differently?
It is very hard to say. For one, I think people liked that it wasn’t all too girly, which interior quickly can be. If you pick up most interior magazines they are targeted a female audience, also I was and have never been, afraid of speaking my mind, and even though it is a lot more commercial these days, I am still telling the truth.
Being one of Denmark’s biggest design bloggers, you must have had the chance to work on some great projects. What’s by far the most exciting you have had the chance to try so far?
Very true. I have worked with the majority of Danish design brands, and honestly, it is hard to pick one out. I loved working with different Danish design brands on a concept I came up with a few years ago, a combined food and design experience called Feast. It was set in my own home, where 14 readers could buy a seat around the big dining table for a night full of great foods and talks. Writing a book was of course also a huge milestone for me, and now I am slowly starting to work more and more on actually creating and designing products with companies, just like Stig Percy. And I really love that I am capable of working with brands outside the interior world as well.
A lot of people think of Scandinavian design as minimalistic and monochrome, how do you see Scandinavian design?
If you look at the majority of Danish and Scandinavian design brands that might be true, but lately a few is also pushing the concept influenced by how the small the world has truly become. Travelling has never been easier (or cheaper), so people see a lot more of the world, which also means that our interiors are influenced by that. The core vibes and concepts of Scandinavian is still very much the same, great long-lasting design, but colours and materials are changing ever so often.
How do you feel that Scandinavian design has influenced other markets?
I think Scandinavia is a major influence on so many markets around the world, especially the food and interior scene is highly sought after. Our effortless approach to how we dress, how we live and eat is something people around the world want as well. They visit Copenhagen for a week and instantly want to move here. Throughout the last decade, the world has just become much smaller, travelling has never been easier (and cheaper), and you can almost not check-in to any hotel around the world without spotting some Scandinavian design.
You recently released a book on the topic, tell us more about it, what is the idea behind it?
Right from the beginning, my vision was: to create a platform for the simple, bright and Scandinavian look, which is known throughout the world. I have worked with the majority of the most know Danish brands and I try to keep pushing the boundaries on defining good blogging. The book itself is a thorough room by room guide to achieving the Scandinavian style, with the description of colours, favourite pieces and how you with easy steps can live like a real Scandinavian. Part of the book is also a whole genesis of this design phenomenon.
(Note: You can find Allan’s book here!)
We are excited to work on this design project with you! When you start a creative process, where do you find your inspiration and how do you go about it?
Very quickly I form ideas in my head, and almost intuitive I start looking at similar products. I look at the brand, see what’s missing in the collection, and I even, for selfish reasons, of course, look at what I miss. Pretty fast my initial idea evolves to a proper drawing with a clear view. The hard part might be transforming those ideas into an actual product, but that’s up to the experts, i.e. you.
When it comes down to fashion design, what is your view on design and personal style?
I really like fashion, I am just not really following trends that much, like now with the 90s design being back in fashion. I just don’t get it. In the same way, as when I write and talk about interior design, I create my own style. I am told I have a very good eye for details, especially in interior. When it comes to my own personal fashion style, I tend to stick with what I know looks good on me, usually not a lot of colours, why wardrobe is a lot of blue, white and grey.
Shoes say a lot about a person, would you agree? What is in your shoe wardrobe?
As I said, I am quite the show addict, that’s the one thing where I might go a bit crazy and add colour. I am known for owning a lot of shoes, so you pretty much find everything in my stacks of shoes, although I have cut down my collection A LOT recently. I think I only have about 40 pairs now, but that number was about 140 just a few years ago. I love a good sneaker, but more and more you’ll see me in a nicer dress shoe or slip-on throughout the summer.
Finally, what’s next for you? Do you have any big goals you are working against?
Designing products for brands is definitely a big goal for me; some are already on its way. So, expect to see some very soon. I would love to work more on collabs with other bloggers as well and who knows, I might write another book. It has been a pretty hectic 2018 so far, so I might just take a few months off, but knowing myself, that probably won’t happen either.
Interested to learn more about Allan / Bungalow 5 and his work?
Visit his’s webpage!
And follow Bungalow 5 on Instagram!
The Design Collaboration: News and Process
We are excited to have started this collaboration with Allan, and we will share our experiences and the journey with you throughout the process! Stay tuned for more news regarding the sneaker that we are working on, we are in the process of product development and we are soon going to Porto to visit the factory together. Sign up to our email list at the bottom of this page and be the first to know!
11/8/2018
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