about Nikobo

Nikobo is the furniture and interior side of SabasNielsen, shaped by Nikolaj’s Danish background, education in furniture design and previous work as a building carpenter.

The work moves between furniture, objects and spaces, balancing function with how they feel to experience. The approach is generally minimal and honest, with a focus on form, proportion, materials and construction. There is a fascination with materials and their individual qualities, often letting their texture, structure and character become part of the expression rather than hiding them. Colour often comes later. A design should be able to stand on its own without it, and colour is added when it brings something more to the object or space, whether functional, emotional or simply because it feels right.

The design process moves constantly between thinking and making. Nikolaj often starts designing in his head, turning an object or space around mentally before it reaches paper or screen. But ideas don’t stay there for long. His background as a carpenter brings an urge to build, test and understand things physically. Sketches and 3D models quickly become mock-ups, material tests and prototypes.

That combination keeps the process closely connected to how things are actually made. Materials and construction aren’t something to solve at the end, but part of shaping the idea from the beginning.

Nikobo explores furniture and interiors at different scales, from individual objects and prototypes to complete spaces.