Senses & Sensibility @larsoslo
who: Lars Hamli; communication advisor at Dansens hus.
Where: Grünerløkka
It must have been after seeing Hitchcock’s “Rear window” (1954) many years ago in my usual state of chronic melancholy, that the idea introduced itself. To adapt certain style elements from the protagonist L.B. Jefferies apartment, which in my view is sober, clean, fresh and elegant with its blue, grey, brown and beige colour scheme.
It’s not so much about copying a style, more about amplifying and taking inspiration from certain elements in different styles and periods. I was fortunate enough to have a great grandfather who was a cabinetmaker and inherited some of his furniture, not opulent in any way, but solid and sober handicraft from earlier times. I always had the idea I’d like to live in a historical building and coincidence led me to my current home from 1893. The apartment is freezing in the winter and sometimes I think of how much more convenient it would be to live in a new building with central heating, but it would lack that historic flair. Maybe I put aesthetic values over practicality.
I´m inspired by everything from specific font styles, movies, music or anything that can trigger certain emotions or senses. I am well organized as a person, but can enjoy certain chaos, as long as it contains a certain system within itself. Meaning that I’m not afraid of mixing colours or styles but look for ways to make them match though they might be from a different style or century. At some point I decided to embrace my style rather than declutter, but I feel that though I have a lot of artefacts, there is still some sense of harmony.
Wear and tear is something that tells stories and I like objects with patina, and things don’t have to be perfect at all – a crack in the wall, a mark in the floor, crackled tiles, from lived life and a home that’s alive at all times.
What I love the most about the apartment is the light. Lying on the top floor with south-facing windows and a balcony gives incredible exposures that change with the seasons and hours of the day. I think I have managed to create an environment, which evokes a certain calmness, even though there’s a lot going on in the apartment. I like sounds and noise and music, and I enjoy hearing the buzzing from the outside, distant sounds from neighbouring apartments, birds chirping, scratches from the record player.
It’s tricky to point out one favourite room as they are different in style and size and all have different qualities, but if I had to choose, I´d say the bathroom. I try to choose so called timeless pieces, sometimes with a contemporary touch, that refers to certain time periods so that it won’t be out of date after a year. It’s a homage to Manhattan in the twenties and forties with a washstand like the once you see in the old movies from cinema or theatre toilets, octagonal tiles, white marble, chrome details and bold colours in green and blues.
Live with Lars in his instagram stories, travel, food, oslolove, architecture, stagecraft and coffee…: @larsoslo
WORDS: Lars Hamli
PHOTOS: The Chromarty