Paper Collectivevisited the serene and thoughtfully curated 1970s home of Signe, a graphic designer and art director with a deep appreciation for storytelling, architecture, and everyday rituals. We spoke with her about balancing creative work and family life, living with original mid-century details as a modern family, and how intuitive, graphic artworks help shape a calm, intentional home that feels both grounded in nature and alive with personal expression.
Hi Signe, thank you for inviting Paper Collective into your home. Could you tell us a
little about yourself?
Sure! It was a pleasure having you over. My name is Signe, I’m 35, with a background as art director and graphic designer within interior brands, corporate companies and design agencies. I split my time between creative work and family life, and I’m deeply interested in how design, storytelling and everyday rituals shape both spaces and wellbeing. I work with branding and visual communication, and at home I’m constantly mixing my roles: creative problem-solver, curator of spaces, and being a mom of our two daughters. I love simplicity, aesthetics with a purpose, and design that feels both considered and alive.
Could you share with us the journey to finding your home and how it is to live in a 70’s home as a modern family with kids?
We were drawn to houses from the 1970’s, because we love both the architecture and interiors from that time-period. It was love at first sight when we saw our house, it had character, generous light, and the selection of untouched materials and layout that felt like home.
Living here with kids is a beautiful balance of past and present. It reminds me of a simpler time, and when we are here, if feels like everything slows down. The house has big common spaces that lets everyday life unfold freely, and the view from all rooms makes me feel close to nature. We’ve embraced the original elements, like the warm wood tones and wide windows, and paired them with a curated selection of furniture, art and details that make it feels lived-in and intentional. It’s a home that will keep growing with us, for many years to come.
Tell us about your process of
selecting artworks and how they pair with the interior and materials/colours in
your home?
Art in our home is chosen much like everything else in the house. I look for pieces that catches my eye and feels intuitive. I’m mostly drawn to more graphic artworks that can be both abstract and very expressive. I love that you can create a feeling or a mood from simple shapes and a minimal colour-palette. To create harmony and rhythm, it feels natural to select artworks with a more tones down colour-palette as we have a lot of bold materials and surfaces in our house. I don’t try to pair artworks
with our furniture, but aim to create a visually coherent experience instead.
You’ve chosen a large artwork for your
living room that complements the space beautifully. What advice would you give
to someone who feels intimidated by scale and is hesitant to commit to a larger
piece in their home?
Don’t be afraid of being bold. A large piece doesn’t have to dominate, it can actually create a feeling of more breathing room. Think in proportion: a piece that’s too small can feel lost, several artworks on the same wall can easily feel busy and noisy, while a larger one can make the room feel calm and intentional. Art in a bigger scale can feel more like a part of the architecture and can hold the room together rather than just being a wall decoration. Trust your eye, and play around.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare
time that inspires or influences your creative work?
In my spare time I try to fill my time with creative activities that slow me down and sharpen my attention like drawing or sewing. I love yoga, long walks in the forest near our home, and quiet mornings with a notebook. Being present with my daughters, noticing how they play and create stories, feeds directly back into my creative thinking. Inspiration for me often arrives in the small, unplanned moments, or when you are busy doing something completely different. I try to fill my time with activities that don’t involve screens as much as possible, and the house itself feels like a quiet reminder of a time, where life felt a little slower and simpler.
