The Resident: Linda Bergroth on Her Favorite Spots in Paris
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Finland is celebrating 100 years of independence next year, with a four-part installation program by the Institut Finlandais titled “Mobile Home.” Organized in Berlin, the Benelux, London, and Paris, the feature sees a number of special attractions, inclu
The Resident: Linda Bergroth on Her Favorite Spots in Paris
Finland is celebrating 100 years of independence next year, with a four-part installation program by the Institut Finlandais titled “Mobile Home.” Organized in Berlin, the Benelux, London, and Paris, the feature sees a number of special attractions, including a temporary pop-up bed & breakfast on Paris’s Rive Gauche by Finnish Young Designer of the Year 2012 Linda Bergroth, which could prove a popular holiday attraction for international lovers of Nordic design.KOTI, as the project is titled, will open its doors from January to May 2017 as a tribute to Finnish design in the guise of an airy summer-cabin. Guests can look forward to full design immersion, with customized bed linen, towels, robes and slippers by Lapuan Kankurit as well as an installation of Finnish crafts and design in the sleeping cabins, plus a spacious dining table and benches designed by architects Mattila & Merz for Nikari in a communal space.For Linda Bergroth, the project also bridges the two worlds she feels at home in: Finland and the French capital, where she studied and lives these days. She kindly agreed to take us on an imaginary tour, sharing some of her favorite spots and eateries in Paris.(Click here for more information on KOTI. Reservations are possible from October 10, 2016 on).See images of KOTI as well as some of Linda Bergroth’s favorite spots in Paris in the slide show.What aspects of Paris make it a rewarding place to spend time in for someone who appreciates art, design and architecture?LB: Paris is a great destination for anyone into art and architecture. For some reason, the design scene still remains quite undeveloped. The French politicians support ambitious architectural projects and in addition to historical buildings, there are a lot of ambitious, large scale architectural developments going on. I also have a great appreciation of the Paris city’s landscape architecture. There are a lot of interesting contemporary parks. The Parisians have an endless thirst for arts. No kind of weather would stop them lining up for a must-see show.What places hold the most nostalgia for you from your earliest memories of Paris, causing you to return back to them time and again?I used to study architecture in Paris-Malaquais, a school of architecture in the Beaux Arts building and lived close by in Rue Dauphine. Every afternoon we used to hang out in Ile de La Cite on the River Banks. The Bateaux Mouches passing by would play a tape, explaining the surrounding buildings. The tapes are still the same and it’s fun to walk by now and to hear the words I remember by heart. I like that side of living in a historic city: a 30 year old guiding tape is as valid today as it was then.If you are away from Paris for a period of time, which restaurants are top of your list to eat at upon your return, and why?My canteen in Paris is Kunitoraya (1 Rue Villedo), a Japanese udon place that have the best udon noodles outside of Japan. I have to go there at least once a week and despite the long lines, it’s always worth the wait.Where do you go in Paris when you feel you need to find new inspiration for your work?BHV hardware department in Marais.Do you have any favorite pieces of architecture, and how would you describe the feeling you get from walking in to them?I love the French Communist Party’s headquarters by Oscar Niemeyer. In this city with endless amounts of palaces, gold and glitter, it’s a funny fact that the communist party’s auditorium seems to me one of the most glamorous ones.Which art pieces in public spaces do you feel have really worked to embellish the location they are in and why?The first ones that come to mind are the Louvre Pyramid and Daniel Buren’s “Les Deux Plateaux” at Palais Royal. It is impossible to understand that those elements that complete the surrounding so well created controversy at some point.If you were a guest in your own city, at which hotel would you choose to stay to make you feel most like you are truly in Paris?I would choose to stay in a Airbnb somewhere near Rue de Bretagne.When looking for gifts, which art and designs stores or fashion boutiques do you find consistently offer new creative products that appeal to you?Empreintes, a recently opened concept store concentrating French Craft has an interesting selection of artisanal ceramics.Which lesser-known districts of the city do you enjoy exploring that you think may become the dynamic art neighborhoods of the future?The 19th and 20th arrondissement. I live in Marais myself, which feels like a small village. Going to the north-east part of the city where things are on the move is always inspiring.If you had a free morning or afternoon, to do whatever you want, what would you do with your time?Saturday morning routines: Grocery shopping in Marché d’Aligre, gallery and museum hopping, lunch at Kunitoraya and dessert from Des Gateaux et du Pain in Rue du Bac, which is my favorite patisserie in Paris. Read more
