By Anna Skovby Hansen

May 21, 2025

It only feels real when it gives you chills. Meet Nikoline Dyrup Carlsen and Malene Hvidt from the design studio Spacon – a place where emotions, materials, and ideas melt into living, breathing design.

When is design and architecture at its best?

Nikoline:

»When it’s holistic – when it creates a deep connection between people and space.«

What matters most to you when you’re designing?

Malene:

»When something becomes deeply personal – while also embracing the diversity of how we each experience and sense the world. It’s about rituals and understanding them: How do we meet? How do we eat together? How do we exist at home? It’s about understanding those actions and designing spaces that support them.«

Where do you find inspiration for your projects?

Malene:

»We’re very focused on who the recipient is – that’s key to creating the best experience. In our studio, we have a material library, kind of like a magazine wall, where everything is visible in the room. We often find inspiration there – we love experimenting with everything from hardware store materials to traditional crafts and natural elements like dyed textiles, avocado pits, or new materials made from mushrooms. We also draw a lot of inspiration from everyday life – it might be an exhibition or a film with a particular mood. Maybe we’re designing an office but get inspired by a movie set. It’s about staying open to the unexpected.«

How do you stay creative in a world where everything moves so fast?

Nikoline:

»For us, it’s about not designing for a world that has to move fast – we design from the inside out. We ask ourselves the fundamental questions: how, why, and what? That means really engaging with and understanding different logics. If we’re designing a playground, we have to see things from a child’s perspective – if it’s a fashion show, it’s a different mindset. But what ties it all together is understanding and engagement. Actually, we enjoy a fast pace. We’re driven by the short distance between idea, action, and execution. Unlike classical architecture with long construction processes, we also seek smaller-scale projects that can be realized more quickly.«

Malene:

»For me, it’s also about valuing time – especially in a fast-paced world. We do that by honoring craftsmanship and materials. Time doesn’t kill creativity – it’s the approach that does. If we insist on openness and create a safe space where people feel comfortable contributing, creativity thrives.«

Nikoline:

»We’re not necessarily trying to slow time down – we actually enjoy when things move quickly. It’s just about not going on autopilot. We need to feel the projects in our gut. And that process includes a lot – materials, communication, and connecting with people. We also do a lot internally to keep creativity alive – we share our processes and proudest moments with each other. We celebrate both our successes and our mistakes, and cultivate a positive attitude toward our work.«

Photo: Spacon, POPL TAKE-AWAY

What do you do when you’re stuck on an idea or in a process?

Malene:

»We turn to each other and our differences. When we’re stuck, we often ask a colleague from a totally different background or field to give us a new perspective. It’s about finding the person who can flip the idea on its head or ask the critical questions we might be missing.«

What’s the biggest misconception about your industry?

Nikoline:

»The biggest one I’ve encountered—and partly believed myself – is that architecture often gets designed without room for personal involvement throughout the process. That you go on autopilot. There’s a tendency for projects to begin with beautiful renderings, but when it comes time to realize them, they’re met with so many processes and compromises. The journey from an architect’s vision to the final building can be long – both in terms of quality and time. That’s a real challenge. We’ve made it our mission to always aim for alignment between concept, visualization, and the final result.«

Malene:

»I also think about interior design and the stereotype that it’s superficial. Looking back at the 1950s and 60s, there was a lot of respect for holistic design – a symbiosis between architecture and interiors. It wasn’t about choosing a nice sofa, but about creating functionality and coherence in the overall experience of a space.«

Nikoline:

»Yes, that’s something we’ve moved away from with industrialization, as disciplines have become more compartmentalized. In the past, architecture and design were seen as a whole. Big names like Arne Jacobsen and Kay Fisker designed everything from façades to furniture, lighting, and interiors – creating complete projects with a clear narrative. Today, unfortunately, we often see a siloed industry where different disciplines are separated. That’s something we want to challenge.«

What do you imagine future architecture and design will look like in a digital age?

Nikoline:

»I think it will increasingly be about encounters and experiences. The time when architecture and design were just about functional square meters is over. We’ll demand more from our surroundings. The white, anonymous surfaces will disappear, and we’ll expect our buildings to tell a story.
We’ll want to see how they’re built, and feel that the materials are healthy and come from a tangible, understandable origin. We’ll crave spaces that welcome us, awaken our senses, and offer something we simply can’t get in the digital world.«