Paper Collective [Designer of the Week] Jonna Valtner (Sweden)

Jul 22
2 min read

A hub where the creativity of artists from around the globe converges. This week, we spotlight Jonna Valtner, a designer for the Copenhagen-based poster brand Paper Collective.

A fresh breeze in Nordic art: Jonna Valtner and the power of art to infuse a space with serenity and storytelling.

Jonna Valtner, a Sweden-based artist, is currently one of the most sought-after designers collaborating with Paper Collective, the art brand hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark. Her creations transcend the role of mere interior decor posters, bringing a sense of serenity and a narrative quality to the spaces they inhabit.

Roots and Career: The Boundary Between Design and Art

Having studied product design at Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm, she approaches her work with a highly structural perspective. Her long career in the fashion industry has honed her keen sense for capturing trends and balancing materials and colors. Yet, at the core of her creative practice lies an upbringing surrounded by artists.

For her, art represents a fusion of calculated design and a lifelong yearning for self-expression. She combines the "spatial functionality" learned in the world of design with the "expression of emotion" found in fine art; it is the interplay of these two facets that lends her work its unique depth.

New Collection: A "Dialogue" Spoken in Earth Tones

For this collection, she presents five new works that deliberately limit the color palette, focusing on earth tones, black, and white. This aesthetic of "subtraction" represents the true essence of her artistry.

Exploring Texture: By employing traditional oil painting techniques, she allows layers of paint to build up on the canvas, creating a sculptural, three-dimensional quality. The *matière*—or texture—which shifts in appearance depending on the lighting, stands as proof of "living art" that digital prints could never replicate.

The Aesthetics of Omission: She intentionally leaves areas of the canvas blank rather than fully rendering motifs such as flowers, figures, or interior scenes. It is within these "unpainted spaces" that the viewer's imagination finds room to roam. Her work does not merely explain what is present; instead, it captures the "presence" or atmosphere lingering in the space.

A Designer’s Words: An Approach to Truth

She describes her creative process as follows:

"What to depict and what to leave out—truth lies hidden within those very choices."

These words epitomize how she balances a structural perspective (product design) with a sensory one (oil painting).

She completes each canvas with a constant awareness of the "dialogue with the space," considering how the painting will harmonize with the surrounding furniture and architecture.

The power of her work lies in its understated nature; by existing quietly yet assuredly, it enriches the landscape of our daily lives.

We invite you to bring this serene art experience—brought to you by Paper Collective and Jonna Valtne—into your own space.