Aarke: transforming everyday kitchen tools into lifestyle art
Malin Gäfvert, Creative Director at Aarke, discusses shaping a brand identity that turns mundane kitchen objects into meaningful lifestyle artifacts.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Premium kitchen appliance brand Aarke was founded in 2013 to refine forgotten home essentials.
- Creative Director Malin Gäfvert states that minimalism feels cold without a strong narrative and identity.
- The brand turns mundane daily chores into quiet, meaningful rituals through thoughtful design.
- Aarke bridges product design, interior spaces, and fashion imagery for a unified brand experience.
In the sixth feature of the Navigators of Design series—a 10-part interview produced by designboom with Most Studios—Malin Gäfvert, Creative Director at Aarke, explores how creative direction elevates everyday utilities into treasured lifestyle artifacts. Stepping into contemporary brand building, she explains how thoughtful design transforms mundane daily moments into quiet rituals.
Rather than treating kitchen appliances as disposable items to be hidden away in cabinets, Aarke’s strategic vision focuses on deeper meaning rather than raw functionality alone. Founded in 2013, the brand was built specifically to rethink and refine home essentials that are easily forgotten in daily life, injecting a sense of worth into routine tasks.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"We treat the product like a piece of design from day one, rather than as an accessory that gets shoved in a cupboard between uses. In our branding, function became the entry point, not the whole story."
Malin Gäfvert
By emphasizing what objects represent rather than just their mechanical duties, Aarke establishes a consistent narrative across its entire collection. The design process focuses heavily on eliminating minor frustrations and domestic clutter, taking a user-centered perspective that rejects fast-moving trends in favor of deliberate timing and tone.
The shift from pure functionality to emotional storytelling is a defining characteristic of modern premium branding. By framing routine kitchen appliances as lifestyle artifacts, companies like Aarke successfully build deeper emotional connections with consumers who increasingly view home goods as extensions of their personal identity and aesthetic values rather than mere utilitarian tools.
Visually, Aarke combines precise product close-ups highlighting materiality and form with dynamic lifestyle imagery. Incorporating human interaction brings essential warmth and context, ensuring the brand's visual identity avoids a cold, sterile minimalism.
Furthermore, internal company filters guarantee that packaging, unboxing experiences, and retail environments strictly mirror this exact design standard. This holistic approach ensures a unified identity across every single brand touchpoint without compromising its core philosophy for brief fads.
Source: designboom
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