• Interview: FoundPop – Where Design Meets Innovative Retail Experiences

    Written by Jahwanna Berglund

    We caught up with the team behind FoundPop to explore how they’ve carved a niche in redefining the physical retail experience in a world increasingly dominated by e-commerce. Born from the award-winning architectural practice Found Associates, FoundPop offers design-led, sustainable, and flexible furniture solutions for pop-ups and experiential spaces. Founder Richard Found and hes team shares how the company emerged as a lifeline for brands navigating the post-Covid retail landscape, while staying true to its ethos of sustainability and innovation. With a portfolio that spans global icons like Prada and Harrods to emerging talent and independent brands, FoundPop’s story is one of creativity, adaptability, and a bold vision for the future of retail.

    Jahwanna Berglund: FoundPop has become synonymous with innovative pop-ups and experiential retail. Can you share the story behind its founding and the inspiration that sparked it?

    FP: FoundPop was born out of award winning Architectural practice Found Associates known for its work across retail, office and residential sectors. Richard Found established FoundPop to fulfil the need that many retail clients had for furniture that was not only design led and high quality but affordable, customisable and easy to assemble. Due to rising costs associated with renting long term retail spaces and the instability across several industries following Covid - FoundPop offers a more flexible solution to clients who still value face to face interactions with customers. We are able to support ecommerce brands with their first pop-up store, enable brands to test new markets or launch new products through activations and collaborate with agencies to create experiential events. Over the past few years we’ve been able to work with brands like Prada, Represent, AMI Paris, department stores like Harrods and Liberty as well as smaller independent brands like Rixo and Molly Goddard.
     

    JB: Sustainability and design-forward thinking are central to FoundPop’s ethos. How do these values shape your approach to projects and partnerships?

    FP: One of the key selling points for our furniture is how versatile it can be. We’ve created modular pieces that are ‘ego-less’ - designed to create physical spaces that can be interpreted entirely by the brand or agency renting the items. This has enabled us to work with a wide variety of clients so although FoundPop has been born out of a retail need - we do not work exclusively with fashion brands only. We love the variety!

    That being said, it is incredibly exciting when we’re able to work with someone who also reflects the same values as ourselves. We want our furniture to be functional but it’s important that it also enhances spaces and offers something more elevated than regular rental furniture. We’ve worked across a variety of premium spaces like 180 The Strand, Liberty London as well as a number of luxury hotels where attention to detail and design are key.

    As part of the circular economy we also have a big focus on sustainability and it is our company mission to try to be as environmentally friendly as possible. We are working to achieve B Corp status within the next 3 years and love when we get to work with brands that are either already B Corp or working towards something similar. All our furniture is made from sustainably sourced materials and we have a thorough QC process in place to ensure we regularly action repairs to increase the life expectancy of each item. When furniture eventually becomes too damaged to repair - we recycle instead. Over the past few years we’ve been able to work with a number of environmentally first brands like Pangaia, OMNES, Damson Madder, Chantecaille and Nobody’s Child to name a few.

    JB: Many designers and founders dream of opening a pop-up or showroom. What advice would you give to someone entering the world of physical brand activations for the first time?

    FP: Do it! We live in an increasingly more online world but the power of face to face interactions and in person activations can’t be underestimated. They’re such a great way to test the waters before committing to a long term store, as a fun marketing tool to launch a product or stage a one off sample sale. Make sure to spend time researching the location and size of space best suited to your brand and give yourself plenty of time to plan and advertise the event to ensure as many people can visit as possible. Don’t be afraid to look into customisation as a way to personalise your event further - we are able to arrange window, floor and full furniture vinyl wrapping which are all hugely popular.

    JB: You have worked on many unique projects. Can you share a particularly memorable collaboration and what made it stand out?

    FP:     There are so many! Every year we collaborate with Graduate Fashion Week organised by the Graduate Fashion Foundation who support and empower emerging designers through their platform. They hold an annual event to showcase Graduate designs and offer employment opportunities and it’s been such a fantastic event to be a part of. Other notable events include; Peggy Gou’s album launch party, Realisation Par’s first London sample sale and most recently Off White’s Archive sale.

    JB: Are there any dream partnerships or industries you’d like to explore in the future?

    FP:     Although we’ve been able to work with a wide variety of brands and industries to date - we are keen to continue to expand even further outside of Fashion and explore new verticals. There are lots of exciting things happening in the Cosmetics space as well as Health & Wellness and it would be great to see where this might take us next year. We’re also keen to collaborate more with specific venues - we’ve provided furniture for a number of top locations in London like 180 The Strand, Somerset House, the Tate Modern as they choose us for our design-led appeal. It would be great to see where else we can take our furniture as we continue to expand outside of a traditional retail space.

    JB: As FoundPop continues to grow, what can we expect in terms of new services or innovations on the horizon?

    FP:     We are always wanting to innovate and there are several things on the horizon. It is definitely our plan next year to not only continue to expand across the UK but also into Europe as well. We have many requests for activations in Europe and it’s really exciting to think we might be able to offer this soon. We also want to broaden our offering - we have a lot of interest in additional items like mannequins, lighting, soft furnishings and it would be great to see how we can build these into our current range in a design-led, sustainable way. Lastly, we are always wanting to improve on the functionality of our furniture - there are always innovations to be had in terms of design - we want to make sure we are still paving the way there!

    www.foundpop.com

  • Photography Josefine Laul

    An interview with Daniel Nordgren, founder of Nord Books

    Written by Ulrika Lindqvist

    What truly makes a city feel alive is the diversity of independent shops, cafes, and other ventures. About a year ago, Stockholm was fortunate to gain a little gem of a bookshop: Nord Books. Specializing in a curated selection of books in English, Nord Books has quickly become a cherished spot. We sat down with founder and owner Daniel Nordgren to reflect on his first year as an independent shop owner.

    Ulrika Lindqvist: Have you always wanted to work with books? How did you get started in this industry?

    Daniel Nordgren: No, not really. I’ve always wanted to run a shop, for some odd reason. I have a very romantic idea of having a small business that is enough to sustain me and my family. I got into reading quite late and I’m not from an academic background so books became a way to self-educate myself. They became a way to discover stories, in form of fiction as well as non-fiction about art, philosophy, film, music and things like that. I think the shop is a product of that constant search of knowledge.

    UL: Before opening Nord Books, you spent many years at the renowned bookshop Söderbokhandeln. How did you know it was the right time to start your own bookshop?

    DN: In all honesty, I don’t think that there’s ever a” right time” to open a bookshop. I felt that I needed some sort of change, a space opened up and it happened quite spontaneously. I had seen a kind of bookshop in other cities, bookshops that carried what struck me as a very personal selection. Small bookshops in London and Paris represented something that I missed in Stockholm and when the tiny space on Sankt Paulsgatan became available I decided to give it a try.

    UL: What are the most important criteria for your book selection? How do you go about curating the store?

    DN: I guess the most important criteria is excitement or befuddlement. Some books I get instantly excited by and others lead to some sort of curious confused feeling that needs to be dealt with. That usually leads to rabbit hole reading and more books being bought for the shop. No books exist in a vacuum so what makes my job fun is to try to figure out where a book is coming from and try to have some of the other titles that it is in dialogue with. I also like to look at publishers a lot. The shop carries a big selection of independent publishers from the UK, the US and Europe and I try to follow the ones I like and take on their new titles as much as I can. But basically, I just want books that makes me interested.

    UL: As a Stockholm-based shop, what inspired your decision to exclusively sell English books?

    DN: I guess I’ve always been a huge anglophile. Growing up in Gothenburg gives you a certain interest in British culture from the start. Having studied English literature and worked with the English selection for Söderbokhandeln for a long time, it sort of became my thing. And I firmly believe that if you’re going to have a shop, it should be full of stuff that you know something about. Not just something that is in demand at the moment but something that you are excited about.

    UL: Are there any particular bookshops or other stores that influenced or inspired Nord Books?

    DN: There is a shoe shop called Lester in Gothenburg, where I’m from, that I’ve always loved. I think that’s where I first got the idea to be a shop owner. They just seemed to love their job and their selection of shoes so much. As far as bookshops go, I learned my trade as Söderbokhandeln so they were a big influence on me as a bookseller. The same goes for the people of John Sandoe Books in London who have been very supportive. But if I’m going to mention bookshops that influenced my selection it would have to be Donlon Books in London and After 8 Books in Paris. The way they curate and arrange their selection is very inspiring. Two incredible bookshops.

    UL: Could you share a memorable moment or event from Nord Books' early days?

    DN: The first event we had is a bit special to me. American poet Wendy Lottermans came by and did a talk and a reading from her brilliant collection A Reaction to Someone Coming In (Futurepoem Books 2023). Everything just came together that night. The shop was packed with people (and a dog), another great poet called Matthew Rana held the talk and read some of his own poems. It was just a perfect night at the bookshop.

    UL: You showcase artists' work on the store's walls—can you tell us about the current artist on display?

    DN: Well, that whole thing started out by me seeing a painting by Olle Halvars that I wanted to buy. I’ve never been a person that buys art and I really couldn’t afford it now so I asked him if I could borrow the painting and have it in the shop for a few months. Then that led to me asking some artist that I liked if they would want to hang some paintings in the shop. We’ve had eight” shows” this year and we have a bunch planned for next year. Right now, we have prints from an artist called Tova Fransson. She works with printmaking and creates beautifully graphical shapes inspired from the printing press in itself. She feels very based in craft, which I admire a lot. Her bold prints often look like some sort of ancient alphabet, portrayed in a very industrial way. It’s such a pleasure to have works from artist like Tova around me in my workplace.

    UL: Who are your customers? Are they primarily Swedish, or has an international clientele discovered the shop?

    DN: I’d say it’s about 50/50. A lot of non-Swedish speaking people based in Stockholm have found their way to the shop, all very nice and curious. People in the neighborhood has shown great interest and a fair bit of travelers has popped in as well.

    UL: What's next for Nord Books? Are there any specific projects or ideas you're looking to explore?

    DN: We will be launching a web shop next year, which is something I have had mixed feelings about. At first, I just wanted it to be the physical shop but then I started getting so many nice emails from people in different parts of the country and thought that since I have so many publishers that are hard to find elsewhere, it seemed only right to be able to get books to people outside of Stockholm as well. Apart from that we really just need to land a bit. This year has been intense. We’ll continue to build a selection of publications from big and small presses that we find interesting.

    UL: If you had to recommend three books to gift for Christmas, what would they be?

    DN: Hannah Regel - The Last Sane Woman (Verso Books 2024)

    This was one of my favorite novels of the ones I read over the summer. A devastating portrait of an artist’s life that deals with class, gender, procrastination and the modern obsession with discovering a dead genius.


    Hugh Corcoran - Two Dozen Eggs (Luncheon 2024)

    A bestseller this year. A short story collection/cookbook with made out of short anecdotal stories that looks upon cooking and eating with a sociological perspective. All of them followed by a recipe of a dish that has a connection to the story. I liked it instantly and it reminded me a great deal of writers like Laurie Lee or John Steinbeck.


    Matthieu Nicol (ed.) - Fashion Army (SPBH Editions 2024)
    An incredible photo book that investigates the evolution of military clothing into iconic fashion. The book is made out of three hundred and fifty documentary images from the declassified US Army Natick Labs archive, tracing military style from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. More or less a source book for modern contemporary fashion and street wear shot in a really raw and straight forward way.

    Photography Josefine Laul 

  • Interview: Light Beyond Reality - The Ethereal Worlds of Sol Summers

    Written by Jahwanna Berglund

    “Parhelion” is not just the title of this latest body of work; it is a gateway into an ethereal and mesmerising exploration of light, wonder, and myth. The series delves into the phenomenon of parhelia—commonly known as sun dogs—and uses this rare interplay of light and atmosphere to evoke a sense of the extraordinary breaking into the mundane.

    In this interview, the artist Sol Summers discusses the inspirations and creative processes that shaped the series, drawing on everything from the paintings of Edvard Munch to the otherworldly beauty of desert landscapes. The work reflects a profound connection to nature’s fleeting, awe-inspiring moments, as well as a fascination with the idea of contemporary myth-making—placing the unexplainable and magical within the everyday.

    From embracing new materials and techniques to reflecting on the cyclical nature of artistic exploration, “Parhelion” represents a significant evolution in the artist's oeuvre. Yet, at its heart, it maintains a consistent thread: a desire to distill life, energy, and emotion into each painting. Through this series, viewers are invited to pause, reflect, and perhaps find a mirror to their own sense of awe and discovery.

    As “Parhelion” debuts at the Untitled Art Fair during Art Basel in Miami, Sol Summers hopes these works resonate on both a deeply personal and universal level, offering a transformative experience that lingers long after the moment of encounter. In the conversation that follows, we delve into the ideas, techniques, and inspirations behind this captivating new collection.

    Jahwanna Berglund: “Parhelion” is an intriguing title. Can you elaborate on its significance and how it relates to the themes explored in this new body of work?

    Sol Summers: “Parhelion” speaks to the idea of something strange and ethereal breaking through the everyday. It has this quality of otherworldliness that feels as though it belongs to myth rather than reality. I often think about how these phenomena must have struck people thousands of years ago – they must have dropped what they were doing and stood, staring at the sky with awe, maybe even fear. Back then, things like rainbows or eclipses sparked entire mythologies, stories about gods and cosmic events.

    What I’m trying to capture in these series is light that defies explanation – light that forces you into a kind of magical thinking. That sense of wonder, of being momentarily untethered from the ordinary, is what I want these paintings to hold. Whether it’s an atmospheric phenomenon or a lens flare, these glitches of light bring a sense of wonder to the work. In a way, it’s a form of contemporary myth-making, placing something unexpected into a scene to disrupt its familiarity.

    JB: What inspired you to focus on the atmospheric phenomenon of parhelia (sun dogs) in this series?

    SS: It started when I saw a painting of the sun by Edvard Munch. It wasn’t just the sun itself – it was the way he painted light, how it radiated beyond the physical and became something emotional. That got me thinking about how light could be a subject in itself. One of the first paintings I made exploring this motif was of a nacreous, opalescent cloud, and that naturally made me curious about other atmospheric phenomena.

    JB: Could you describe your creative process for this exhibition? Were there any new techniques or materials you experimented with?

    SS:For me, the creative process is never just the act of painting. It’s everything around it – the staring at the wall, the restless pacing, the moments where you feel stuck, and the moments where you’re surprised by what you’ve done. It’s all part of it. A close friend once said to me, “Dentists don’t get dentist block.” That thought stayed with me, and for the past couple of years, I’ve always returned to it when I come up against creative blocks.

    What was new in painting these series was the total absence of these blocks. Once I turned to nature for inspiration, it felt as though everything opened up. There was no hesitation. I saw more ideas than I could possibly paint in a lifetime. These works came to me quickly, almost effortlessly – not because they were easy, but because I was excited about them. That excitement carried me through.

    I embraced an experimental approach, using every tool at my disposal: squeegees, plastic wrap, airbrushes, paintbrushes. I find that mixing up techniques and tools keeps me engaged with the paintings.

    JB: How does these series differ from your previous works in terms of style and subject matter?

    SS: At first, I didn’t see how these paintings connected to my earlier work. They felt like something completely new. But as I went deeper, I started noticing threads – colour, energy, that desire to pack as much life into a painting as possible. It’s all still there. You think you’re moving forward, only to realise you’ve been circling back the whole time.

    The first cactus painting I ever made was almost seven years ago, right after a visit to the Huntington Gardens. Their cactus botanical garden floored me. It felt as though nature was experimenting with its own extremes. That memory stayed with me, quietly, until one day I found myself returning to it without even realising.

    It’s like big cycles. Things you painted ten years ago suddenly resurface. Painting is always in the corner of your eye; that’s what this feels like. You think you’re chasing something new, but it’s been waiting there all along, half-hidden, just out of reach.

    JB: Sun dogs are known for their ethereal and transient nature. How do these qualities manifest in your artwork?

    SS: The sun dog is, at its core, a purely visual experience. That’s what drew me to it – its undeniable beauty. The way it transforms the sky, interrupts it, feels like something unrepeatable. But it’s also a symbol, and symbols are slippery things. They mean one thing to you and something else to me. How you arrive at them changes what they mean. What it represents to me might not be what it represents to you, and that’s fine.
    For me, a sun dog represents the impossible breaking into the everyday. It’s a reminder that the world is strange and magical if you look at it long enough. That’s what I want my paintings to hold.

    JB: What emotions or messages do you aim to convey to the audience through this collection?

    SS: In preparing for this show, I spent a lot of time in the deserts of Nevada and Arizona. What struck me is that the desert isn’t just a place – it’s a mirror. It reflects who you are, shows you aspects of yourself you might not have seen before. I hope these paintings can serve a similar purpose for the viewer, allowing them to find something personal within the work – something that says as much about them as it does about the paintings themselves.
    For me, the emotion that resonates most in this work is awe. When I was a kid, I would stand in front of massive landscape paintings in museums – works by artists like Kuindzhi or Friedrich – and feel something so profound I couldn’t name it. If I’ve managed to create something that evokes even a fraction of that feeling for someone else, then I’ve succeeded.

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