Swedish designer Charles Törnros, with a passion for purist Scandinavian design, created the award-winning Norrom aquarium in 2016.
The Norrom aquarium is a 40 l, upright cylinder made from some of the nicest acrylic on the market. The top and bottom trim, in a selection of finishes, is easy to remove and swap (should the urge take you) and if you’re the kind of person who has a 3D printer knocking about, you can download a template to make your own replacements at will.
We all love aquariums
We all love aquariums until it comes time to figure out cable management. Is the filter system seriously that loud? I’m all for block design, but damn, we need some options.
Charles Törnros focuses on creations that encompass fundamental innovation whilst achieving ultra-simplicity aesthetically. He shares his design experience and philosophy with a number of clients and brands across Europe.
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Cables – and more cables
Number one issue with owning an aquarium? Cables. And more cables. The lighting system involves an unsightly cable dangling from the top of your fish tank.
However, in the comprehensive and concise instruction manual come some ‘do not’ points. They include ‘do not overstock your aquarium — the total length of fish should not exceed 20cm; do not overfeed your fish — a hungry fish is a healthy fish; do not replace the sponge, carbon pellets of ceramic rings at the same time as each other — it can cause a lethal chemical imbalance’.
Cycling is important
Furthermore, Norrom ‘strongly recommend cycling your aquarium before adding any fish, in order to ensure that the water quality is habitable…’ The aquarium company is actually suggesting cycling before you add fish. There’s even a link to a webpage to talk you through it.
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Practical Swedish Aquarium for Small Homes
Norrom Aquariums come with design flair for days and the technology integrated to make each whisper quiet. Leave it to Sweden to figure how to make the aquarium awesome again.
The name Norrom comes from the Swedish “norr om” meaning “north of”, aspiring to be higher up whilst remaining firmly grounded, and acknowledging the brand’s northern (Scandinavian) heritage.
The filter runs on an uplift principle, and the tube screws into place with an unrivalled precision — there’s no shaky push-fit affair here. In the filter chamber sits a foam mechanical filter into which there is a clear-cut trench for carbon (or other resin media, if you so choose), while biomedia sits around the outside. On top of that you can place your decorative stones, which come as either white or black cobbles.
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Charles Törnros was tired of the cables so he flipped aquarium design on its head. The lighting system is powered through the base of each tank, eliminating the wires. Each Norrom has an energy-efficient LED system that outputs nearly 500 lumens of white light. Go nuts with the dimmer to create whatever ambience you desire.
Restricted production
Since creating the Norrom Aquarium, Törnros has carefully restricted its production and circulation to only a few hundred worldwide. Throughout this period, Norrom has attracted exceptionally positive press and customer feedback.
Practical Swedish Aquarium for Small Homes, written by Tor Kjolberg