Nordic Knots NYC Flagship by Studio Giancarlo Valle

Swedish textile brand Nordic Knots has opened a showroom in New York City, the first outside its native Stockholm. Located in Soho and designed by founders Fabian Berglund and Liza Berglund Laserow with long-term collaborators and friends Studio Giancarlo Valle, the showroom is an ode to both cities.

In designing their first international outpost, Berglund and Berglund Laserow sought to fuse their Swedish heritage with their affinity for New York (they lived there for several years, during which time the idea for Nordic Knots was born). “We are, of course, tainted by our Swedish roots and the design language we’ve learned from our home, so we wanted to create something that represented this and not just put a bit of Stockholm in New York, but instead embrace the location and dress it with a Scandinavian sensibility,” says Berglund.

Housed within a 19th-century building on the corner of Greene and Canal Streets with a brick and cast-iron facade and floor-to-ceiling windows along two elevations, the exterior is gritty yet grand.

Housed within a 19th-century building on the corner of Greene and Canal Streets with a brick and cast-iron facade and floor-to-ceiling windows along two elevations, the exterior is gritty yet grand. Stepping inside, however, the interiors are intentionally pared back, with minimal interventions and a reduced yet highly effective material palette. Berglund explains that this neutrality represents Nordic Knots’ identity and the “feeling of home that we stand for”. It was also conceived in response to their clients’ needs. “Each person who walks through the doors brings their own design with them; the project they’re working on has its own identity and as a designer they have their own aesthetic. We didn’t want the store and our world to overpower that,” he says.

The dropped, gridded stainless-steel ceiling is perhaps the boldest design move. Stretching from front to back, it unifies the space and creates visual interest overhead. Rug and curtain samples hang within custom oversized stainless-steel cabinets and drawers contain swatches. “Instead of your typical rug store, we landed on a concept of an archive, with large cabinets that house miniature rug samples,” explains Berglund. These cabinets double as room dividers and furniture – including vintage pine pieces sourced from Sweden and others upholstered in silk and leather – dots the spaces between.

“Each person who walks through the doors brings their own design with them; the project they’re working on has its own identity and as a designer they have their own aesthetic. We didn’t want the store and our world to overpower that,” he says.

Though the prevailing feeling is decidedly Nordic, it has an edge; for one, the zebra-printed, wall-mounted rug feels more akin to Manhattan than to Scandinavia, and the architecture is Soho to a tee. This dichotomy works well; it isn’t simply Stockholm in New York, but a balanced riff on both.

Architecture by Studio Giancarlo Valle and Future Made Architecture. Interior design by Studio Giancarlo Valle. Build by Walker Ridge. Artwork by Sissòn.