It was Kristine Vaneryds partner, Nils Åsén, who drew the phone booth. After his passing Kristine had the idea to turn the beautiful booth into a book-kiosk. "He would have liked it!" she says.
The courtyard at Lilla Marie Café is lush with greenery. In the corner stands the beautiful telephone booth designed by Nils Åsén, who passed away last summer. But the telephone booth he helped create has been given new life, thanks to his partner Kristine Vaneryd.
– We want to transform this telephone booth into a book kiosk to honor his memory, says Kristine Vaneryd.
The couple met at Stadsfesten in 2010 and became partners two years later. Around the green kiosk, she, Nils' children, and grandchildren have gathered. On the shelves of what was once a fully functional telephone booth, there are now thrillers, children's books, and fiction.
– He had a great love for words and authorship. That's why I think this is such a fitting tribute, says Kristine Vaneryd.
– He was somewhat of a wordsmith, adds Nils' daughter, Marit Åsén.
– He loved puns and crosswords, says Robin Åsén, Nils' son.
Now, anyone is welcome to pick up a book here to read. You can also drop off forgotten novels that deserve some attention. Skebo has supported the initiative.
Kristine Vaneryd, Nils Åséns partner, together with Nils' children Marit Åsén and Robin Åsén. They are all happy with the result.
– There are so many books to read, says Kristine Vaneryd.
– There are tons of books just lying around gathering dust in storerooms and attics. It's better for them to come to light, says Marit Åsén.
Curious visitors have already started to peek in and browse the books.
– I stopped by to drop off some children's books a few days ago. Then I met a woman and her daughter. The girl took one of the children's books, and the mom took a book too. That's exactly how it should work, says Kristine Vaneryd.
During his lifetime, Nils Åsén worked for Ericsson in many different roles. He was once tasked with redesigning an old-fashioned classic telephone booth, but with the modern technology of the time.
Nils Åsén drew the phone booth a few decennia ago. Now his partner Kristine Vaneryd and his son Robin Åsén want to honor his memory – by giving the booth new life.
– There was an old model of this telephone booth, but they wanted to make a new edition. There were no drawings, so Nils was tasked with creating construction drawings inspired by the old model, says Robin Åsén.
The telephone booth has stood there for a long time and fits perfectly into one of Skellefteå's oldest wooden house neighborhoods. No one in the group remembers exactly when it was installed but guesses it was sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
– It was a functioning telephone booth for quite a long time, says Robin Åsén.
A hundred identical telephone booths were produced and placed around Sweden. Kristine Vaneryd has encountered several of them.
Kristine Vaneryd och Marit Åsén wanted to honos Nils Åsén, who drew the classic phone booth. "He loved words, puns and crosswords. This is a fitting tribute" says Nils' partner Kristine Vaneryd.
– I've traveled a lot in Sweden. I used to send pictures to Nils when I came across one of his telephone booths, she says.
A while after Nils Åsén's passing, Kristine traveled to Trosa. There she saw a telephone booth that resembled the one her partner had designed. When she went inside, she discovered it was full of books.
The phone booth at Lilla Marie Café has been filled with books. Here, anyone can pick up a book, or leave a few.
”It would be nice if it gets filled with more kids and young adult books!" says Kristine Vaneryd about the unconvential library.
Kristine Vaneryd was Nils Åséns partner. Here she is together with Nils' children Marit and Robin Åsén as well as Nils' grandchildren Lovisa and Mathilda.
– I thought, 'Wow!'. We should do this. It was so much fun that Skebo wanted to bring the idea to life. It would be great if it spread to more places, she says.
Kristine hopes above all that more children and young people find their way there and that more youth books will appear on the shelves.
– Children and young people read so little today. They spend so much time on screens instead. They need to read to improve their reading comprehension, she says.