Design Talk: Thea Bækkelund from Stences

Denmark-based Stences is one of the most unique and popular brands at Anacua House. Co-founder and lead designer Thea Christence Bækkelund infuses bright color and whimsical, asymmetric shapes into each of her designs, reimagining everyday décor objects in unexpected ways. Her Lake and Repeat vases are Anacua House favorites redefining the role of a vase in decoration from supporting character to star of the show with their combinations of color and modern profiles. Stences’ bubble candleholders, coming to Anacua House later this spring, combine concepts of fire and water in a quirky, colorful burst. With such joyful designs, we just had to get to know Thea better. Here’s our interview:

What inspires you to create? The bubble candleholder is really unique, where did you get the idea?

I literally find inspiration everywhere, at any time. I am gifted (or cursed) with a brain that works this funky way and automatically absorbs shapes, colors, and textures into its own big library. When I develop new products, it is an outcome of everything from that “library”/idea bank mixed together.

With that being said, I often find a lot of inspiration from architecture, nature, or things and colors seen while traveling. I always take lots of pictures, so whenever I feel uninspired, I simply scroll through my camera roll, and the ideas start flowing again.

The Bubble candleholder is such a great example of how everyday life can be the source of inspiration too. I have a toddler who absolutely loves to play with soap bubbles. I started noticing how the bubbles sometimes would stick together and form these cloud-like shapes with different sized bubbles. One day, I started playing around with the shape, and instantly thought that it would look amazing as a crystal candleholder. Crystal glass reflects light this beautiful way – just like soap bubbles, so that was the obvious choice for material. Each candleholder is made by hand, so the crystal balls will be placed a bit differently from item to item. I love how it adds an extra unique, living touch.

How would you define your style? What/who are your influences?

I guess you can define my style as quite eclectic. I really like to blend different styles together to create a unique aesthetic.

I am influenced by lots of things and people, but honestly that is not something I think about that much. With that being said, I am definitely influenced by the 1980’s Memphis design, which was characterized by brightly colored shaped and lines. Very fun and graphic. You will also find references to the Bauhaus movement in my designs. A clear example is the graphic series of Icon candleholders in stainless steel. The minimal, industrial look and the choice of material is very Bauhaus. Not that I consciously went for that though.

Your designs are full of color- what are your favorites to use and why?

In my opinion, colors are one of the most powerful tools! Adding colorful objects to your home is such a great way to show your personality and personal style, and I truly believe that surrounding yourself with colors will add richness to your life.

My favorite colors and combos honestly change all the time, but I think my all-time favorite is blue. Light blue to be specific. It is just such a classic that looks good with any other color. It easily blends into the classic, minimalistic scandi-home while still looking amazing combined with other bright colors.

I cannot explain how much I love to play around with different color combinations. When we participate in trade shows our stand is always super colorful. For the Maison&Objet fair in Paris this winter, we went with a very bright turquoise/purple/yellow theme, which was quite the bold choice. But it made us stand out – and that is the most important thing in this business.          

Have you faced any obstacles in translating your ideas to physical objects that can be produced in quantity? What's the hardest part about working through that process?

As you may have noticed, I like to challenge the classic shape of a product. I love products that are asymmetric as they can be turned around for a new expression so that you never get bored from looking at it. We have had to cancel a few of my designs as they were simply too tricky to make. As an example, I drew a U-shaped glass vase in the end of 2020, which our amazing glass supplier started working on immediately. They tried a ton of different techniques to blow the glass, but it always came out with this “wrinkle” in the bottom. Eventually we had to cancel it as it was impossible to get it right. We could have maybe chosen to make it in a different material such as ceramics, but I would rather cancel an idea than compromise.

Are you considering any other types of products?

The short answer is YES. I dream of expanding with multiple new product categories. Right this moment, our suppliers are working on some exciting new products that I designed for the coming season. I personally always find it hard to find unique objects for wall decoration, so that has been one of the main focuses this time. Hopefully the prototypes will be exactly what I dreamed of so we can introduce them later this year.

About Stences: Stences was founded in 2020 by mother-daughter duo Pia and Thea; Stences is a take on Pia’s grandmother’s name, Christence, who was called “Stenze” for short. Pia is the leads the business operations while Thea is the creative heart of the brand. All of Stences’ products start as one of Thea’s concept drawings, and she works closely with their skilled suppliers on prototypes and manufacturing to ensure a faithful execution of her design. She sees her designs as a twist on classic Nordic design, incorporating playful shapes and bold color.

Three of their vases are currently available at Anacua House, with centerpiece bowls and candleholders arriving later this spring.