Interior Architecture and Design
Cousins’ newest café is located in the entrance area of the iconic brutalist building Indekshuset, in the Oslo city center. The building is part owned and managed by Höegh Eiendom. Through Cousins, young people with refugee backgrounds gain work experience, Norwegian language training, and a social network in Oslo.
For Cousins, we restored classic Norwegian furniture from the building’s original era and combined it with pieces made from reclaimed materials. The tables were specially designed for Cousins Indekshuset and crafted from old filing cabinets and reclaimed oak moldings. The leather poufs are sewn together from surplus offcuts. The existing counter was kept, with minor adjustments to accommodate the new operations. The result is an interior that feels exclusive, site-specific, and solid.
Cousins Indekshuset is not a place that looks like a sustainability project. But behind every choice are conscious decisions about materials and longevity. The goal was to focus on reuse without necessarily letting that define the aesthetic.
The site had some interesting challenges, like the half wall next to the seating. The wall is protected, which means we could not make permanent changes to it. At the same time, the wall is too short to safely put furniture up against it. Our solution was to create planters with brackets that could hang over the wall, with integrated supports for plants. These supports are sturdy enough to function as an added fence. The lamps also posed a challenge, as we could not screw them into the wall. The result is a custom design based on the same brackets, a careful exercise in balance and weight distribution.
Odd Thorsen AS and Cousins operate in different fields, but share the same core values: sustainability through quality. Together, we demonstrate how social and environmental sustainability can be united through a strong product and a clear identity.
“Cousins has cracked the code, showing how you can be uncompromising on quality, delivery, and detailing, while still wearing your heart on your sleeve. This collaboration is about shared values. Customers and the people working in the building should experience excellent service in a truly unique space, while knowing that the quality products they purchase contribute to something greater,” says Andreas Aichberger of Höegh Eiendom.
Photographs: Elisabeth Aarhus