ANDREAS MARTIN-LÖF STARTS PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT FIRM
FABER WHICH CHAMPIONS CRAFT OVER COMMERCE
INTERVIEW
Faber, launched by Swedish acclaimed architect Andreas Martin-Löf, is a new company with a mission to restore care and integrity to the realm of property development. Martin-Löf has partnered with committed investors who share the belief that good development is born from championing craft over commerce. Faber initially offers an apartment in The Hat Factory situated on Kungsholmen in Stockholm, and two seafront summerhouses on Bergholmen, close to the island of Torö. Both are designed by Martin-Löf. "A part of my architecture firm has always been devoted to property development, but of course only as architects," says Martin-Löf. "After the peak in 2018 when greed simply took over and things fell apart I decided to take a break from those kind of projects and we have been less involved in high end property development the last few years. I think small scale property development can push boundaries and that is what I want to do with Faber; championing craft over commerce."
TNE What will differentiate Faber from other developers already on the market?
AML Faber is to a part owned by me and I have a background in the world of architecture and design and to a part by investors with business experience. We have committed to focus on quality and control to set a good example of what can be possible if you, to a degree, prioritise differently. I think that approach already stands out. Faber is the Latin word for artisan, craftsman, architect, creator, maker, artificer, forger and smith so we have built in to our name also what we stand for as a company. We like to use both mind and hand. To think of course, but not least to make and create.
An apartment in the The Hat Factory on Kungsholmen in Stockholm is for sale under Faber.
TNE What excites you the most about your offering?
AML I think it's exciting to offer properties with soul. At Bergholmen near Torö we are now developing two seafront summerhouses with pitched roofs and a precise wood architecture with similarities to my summer house in Aspvik. In connection with the launch of Faber we are also offering one of my beloved old properties namely an apartment in the Hat Factory that i designed in 2012. The Hat Factory also really has a soul and identity and stands out in the Stockholm market. I think these properties are a good start for us and I am proud about being able to offer what we have promised from the very start and beginning.
TNE How will Faber develop long term? What is the future for this type of business and its offering do you think?
AML I hope Faber slowly will grow bigger, but I think the word slowly is important here. I want it to become bigger, but not fast because that might jeopardise the quality and that feeling of heart and soul. I want to keep what we do precise and not lose the relationship between context and content, small detail and big picture. I think we are on trend. The last year has taught us that change is possible and that most of us actually are happy spending more time at home and in Sweden. Quality of the time spent and the quality of those environments that we spend time in is at least on my agenda.
At Bergholmen near Torö in Stockholm, Faber is now developing two seafront summerhouses with pitched roofs and a precise wood architecture.
TNE Other things coming up?
AML The team at Faber are searching for the next Faber project and this time I think it will come up in the city or close to the city. I hope it will be a property with old charm that we can make a modern take on. Otherwise I spend most of my time designing a new garden furniture family, a 110 foot sailing boat and some private high end projects in and just outside Stockholm.
”Faber is the Latin word for artisan, craftsman, architect, creator, maker, artificer, forger and smith so we have built in to our name also what we stand for as a company. We like to use both mind and hand. To think of course, but not least to make and create.”
Andreas Martin-Löf's private summer house in Aspvik has similar features to the two new seafront summerhouses now under development.