Lifts to love from Scandinavia

A lot of the time, people install lifts because they have to, whether it is because of decreased mobility or, in the case of public buildings, because regulations require it. My goal as a designer is to change that thinking!

I want homeowners and architects to want to put the lift in because it’s a nice design that can lift the space in a way. So it’s been an interesting challenge for me to design the Aritco HomeLift a couple of years ago as well as two new models, Aritco PublicLift Access and HomeLift Access launched this year.

It’s safe to say that the world of lifts hasn’t had design as a key point, especially with platform lifts. Scandinavian design, however, is an effective approach, partly because of its simplicity and a relationship to nature –there’s a strong connection there.

Also, Scandinavian design works well over time, which I think is mainly because of the simplicity. It can go a little out of style for a while, but then comes back again because it is a simple, international style that holds up. That’s important in a house, office or public building that will be around for many decades.

I also like the way that, because of the simplicity Scandinavian design has, our lifts work well with all different architectural styles. The design is versatile. If you put one into an old building, like an old castle, it will work together with that because it is so clean. It doesn’t take over. That’s one of the more important things.

If you have a lift where the design takes over, like some fantastic piece of Italian furniture, that sort of takes over the room. And this would be a problem with a public lift. The lift needs to melt into the spaces around it.

—Alexander Lervik