Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen is a Danish architect, designer, photographer – and a judge at this year’s ICONIC Awards. In an interview with ndion, the co-founder of Norm Architects reveals what keeps him awake at night and what the term ‘soft minimalism’ means.
Interview by Jasmin Jouhar
Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen is one of the two founders of the style-defining Copenhagen architecture and design studio Norm Architects. The studio’s clients include furniture manufacturers such as Audo Copenhagen, Karimuko Case, Reform and Lema. Their list of architectural projects includes several houses, apartments and showrooms, as well as the restaurants Iris in Norway and Äng in Sweden, and a hotel in Tokyo. We spoke to Bjerre-Poulsen about his drive, his passion for photography and a minimalism that puts people first.
Together with your business partner Kasper Rønn, you run an architecture and design studio, designing for clients in the furniture industry and planning residential architecture, hotels, restaurants and shops. You also work as a freelance photographer. Which of these activities would you say suits you best?
I have always tried to follow my inner voice and only do what I feel called to do. In the beginning I studied at a business school, but soon I fled to Rome because I preferred to work creatively. At that time I drew a lot, churches, sculptures, nude models, the classic training of an artist. After a year I came back to Copenhagen and started studying architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts. What I learnt in Rome was to perceive my surroundings in detail, with all my senses. Whether it’s the weather, architecture or an interior, you experience the world as an atmosphere and react to it emotionally. Drawing and photography help me in my work as an architect and designer. It helps me to understand details, materials, surfaces and how they are changed by light. So the short answer is that there is a lot of me in everything I do. And that I am as passionate about designing architecture as I am about designing an exhibition or taking photographs. For me, these things are all connected.
You mentioned the inner voice. How do you know when you feel called to do something?
It is one of the few things I have no rational explanation for. There is this mysterious inner drive that almost forces me to do something. It can be quite ambivalent because on the one hand it gives me a lot of energy and passion and a really good feeling. But on the other hand it also drives me crazy, keeps me up at night and makes me neglect my health. I know a lot of artists feel the same way. It’s probably a universal human need to create.
‘It is a universal human need to create.’
– Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen
Norm Architects – Kent Avenue Penthouse Residence, New York, US | Photos: Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen
When do you find time for photography? Running an architecture and design studio must be very demanding.
I learnt early on to spend as little time as possible on things that drain my energy. This applies to both practical and administrative tasks, many of which play an important role in architecture. Architecture is very complex, there are many people involved. It’s important that we have people in the studio who work in a structured way, who take care of finances and project management. This gives me the opportunity to be creatively involved in many projects. In design and architecture, it’s important to work out an idea conceptually. And then to have a look at it again and again in the course of the implementation process and to change or optimise things. Photography is different. It’s just me and my view of the world. It happens at the weekend, on holiday, I always carry a camera with me. The best camera is the one you have with you, or so they say.
Do you feel that you are always looking at things from the same perspective and asking the same questions?
In part, yes, for example in the aesthetic approach. Whether it’s photography, graphic design, product design or architecture, it’s about finding the essence of things. Getting to the point where there is nothing more to add or take away. In practice, of course, they are completely different worlds. Architecture, as I said, is much more complex. We want to understand how our clients live, what their preferences are, what kind of spaces they feel comfortable in.
Do different projects inspire each other?
Take a hotel project. Architects, interior designers, graphic designers and many other people are often involved. The result is usually not very holistic. We try to convey to our clients that we want to take on all the tasks. Of course, it doesn’t always work, but when we do, you can feel how everything is connected.
Does working with light in photography have an influence on architecture?
When it comes to daylight, there is a direct link. Understanding how light works when it comes from the side or behind, from above or below. This creates different atmospheres that can be translated into architecture. Artificial light works differently, so the quality of the light sources is important. Everything should be dimmable and the colour of the light should be adjustable. The effect of light and acoustics is often underestimated in architecture. We should design spaces for all the senses.
‘We were looking for something universal that could transcend cultural boundaries. We have remained true to this philosophy ever since.’
– Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen
With Norm, you have coined a popular term: ‘soft minimalism’.
After setting up our studio in 2008, we wrote a kind of manifesto under this title. It was our response to the minimalism of the 1980s and 1990s. Much of that period seemed strange to us, these stark white spaces, lots of synthetic resin and stainless steel. We understood minimalism differently, in a more traditional way. Think of Japanese architecture, the Shakers, the British Arts and Crafts movement or Danish rural culture. The objects were often simple, modest, but made of good materials. Handmade, with attention to detail. A minimalism that put people at the centre. We were looking for something universal that could transcend cultural boundaries. We have remained true to this philosophy ever since.
Don’t you ever get the urge to design something completely extravagant and colourful?
No. Some of our staff would probably like to do that sometimes. That’s why one of my most important tasks is to make sure that we stay on the right track and design timeless, durable, high-quality projects. Things that people will still want to look at and live in 20 or 30 years from now. I’d rather leave the extravagance to others. Which brings us back to the beginning of the conversation, I just don’t feel called to do that. It would be difficult for me and I wouldn’t be good at it. As soon as one little detail isn’t harmonious, I get upset and feel it in my whole body. I’m very bad at hiding it.
THE REINVENTION OF FORMS – Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen’s first monography presents a collection of cinematic compositions by the founder of Norm Architects. Bjerre-Poulsen’s understanding of tactility, minimalism and attention to detail is reflected in his exploration of the body, architecture and nature | © 2023 Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen
About the ICONIC AWARDS 2025
More visibility, more opportunities – the new ICONIC AWARDS provide a stage for tomorrow’s ideas and projects. They open up networking and business opportunities and pave the way to new markets. They are aimed at architects, interior designers, designers and companies who are shaping the future with visionary projects, innovative products and sustainable concepts.
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About the Author
Jasmin Jouhar is a freelance journalist based in Berlin, Germany. Her areas of expertise include design and brands, architecture and interior design. She writes for various German-language trade and general media, including the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the online platform Baunetz and the magazines Schöner Wohnen and AD. She also presents industry events and is responsible for corporate publishing projects. Jasmin Jouhar is committed to promoting young design through coaching, workshops and lectures.
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