“I create my own shelf because I don’t fit into other shelves.”
Niels Strøyer Christophersen built FRAMA around three interests: spaces, design and people. In this episode of TheBoldWay, I meet the founder and creative director in Copenhagen, inside the former pharmacy that brings his world together.
We begin with a tour of the shop, Apotek 57 and the offices upstairs. Furniture, fragrance, food and the traces left on the walls all contribute to a place that feels lived in. Then we sit down to trace the decisions and encounters behind it.
Niels grew up far from the design industry. Working on building sites taught him to look at spaces before they were decorated. A period in France gave him time to imagine his own company and find its name. He later learned the business through design retail and by representing other brands, before creating FRAMA’s first collection in six to eight weeks for a trade fair in Berlin.
He tells me how a perfume given to him by a friend became the starting point for a care collection, and how a conversation over dinner helped turn the idea of a bakery into a reality. We discuss the different economics of furniture and care products, the work behind an apparently simple object, and the role of hospitality in letting people experience the designs.
Niels also speaks about independence, the freedom to be yourself at work, and the responsibility that comes with trusting a team. He is candid about the complexity of the company he has built. If he started again, he would begin with a narrower focus and go deeper.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- How building sites, travel and retail shaped his eye for design.
- How FRAMA’s first collection came together in eight weeks.
- Why a gift became the starting point for the care collection.
- What sourcing, production and logistics demand beyond the initial idea.
- How content made in-house helps preserve a consistent visual language.
- Why cafés and restaurants bring FRAMA’s objects and values to life.
- What “freedom with responsibility” means for the team.
- Why he would start with a narrower focus if he were doing it again.
TIMELINE
01:39 : Meeting Niels at FRAMA in Copenhagen
02:19 : Furniture, care and hospitality, defining the FRAMA universe
06:36 : Inside the former pharmacy
12:47 : Materials, care products and everyday objects
15:10 : Apotek 57 and the choice to keep things simple
18:34 : Upstairs, the offices and the history left on the walls
24:33 : Childhood, football and learning to work as a team
27:38 : Building sites and learning to read a space
29:33 : Time in France and finding the name FRAMA
31:01 : Developing an eye without a design education
34:11 : A customer’s request and the first step into business
36:11 : Creating the first collection in six to eight weeks
42:06 : The perfume that opened a new chapter
45:13 : Furniture and care, two complementary businesses
47:14 : From dinners to a bakery
48:34 : Suppliers, production and the work behind a product
53:46 : Building a tactile brand in a digital world
57:32 : Distribution, trade fairs and choosing where to be seen
1:01:23 : What care products really represent in the business
1:03:08 : Cafés, a wine bar and the role of hospitality
1:08:55 : Freedom as a personal motivation
1:11:02 : New spaces, sensory experiences and cinema
1:15:41 : Managing the team with trust and responsibility
1:18:25 : Using AI without letting it set the agenda
1:19:53 : What Niels would do differently
1:23:14 : Giving artists and artisans a platform
1:25:12 : Finding energy in people and places
1:27:24 : The Copenhagen creators he would like us to meet
Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
