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For his design college graduation exhibition back in 1998, Alexander Lervik at the tender age of 26 had unknowingly hit on what was to become his winning concept. With his exhibition 10 stools 10 decades he had combined concept design, unlikely partnerships and innovations in what turned out to be his way in to the industry. This three-way design approach is defining for Alexander Lervik’s almost 20-year career as one of Sweden’s leading designers, whose quest for innovation speaks louder than the passion for creating beautiful objects. “I rarely get hung up on the details or art-for-art’s sake. What fires me is the desire to create a product based on a novel concept or invention. I see this as my forte, though some might see it as a failing in a designer”, says Alexander. “Everyday life inspires me. Sometimes I want to share trivial observations. Other times the topics seem more existential. But mostly, the simple, small and everyday matters the most.” Worapong Manupipatpong and Ada Chirakranont are Atelier 2+, a Bangkok-based design studio. The duo studied at KMITL in Bangkok and at Konstfack in Stockholm and their designs show that Scandinavian Design is a concept that is not limited by nationality. In their work they seek to erase the boundaries between architecture and furniture, art and design. The duo responsible for the Wick Chair are designers with roots in the province of Småland where so much of the skills and expertise of the Swedish furniture industry have developed. Both Karl Malmvall and Jesper Ståhl come from families that have manufactured furniture, with parents and grandparents who started successful companies that they have developed and refined. In Karl’s case there was a tradition of fine cabinetmaking while Jesper’s ancestors redirected a metal manufactory to become a successful pioneer in the field of public-sector furnishing. Their lengthy experience of designing furniture and other products both for the home and for the public sector has given the duo a detailed understanding of the criteria for a modular shell chair. Jessika Källeskog is very much a hands-on designer, sculpting forms, working in close harmony with her material. She spent a decade studying and working in Italy and this has had a formative influence on her understanding of design. It was in Italy that she developed her interest in sculpture and craftwork, as well as her fascination with the tactile qualities of objects: their materiality, and the encounters between contrasting forms that subtle details can give rise to. Today Jessika runs ‘Contour’, her own design studio in Stockholm specializing in product design and interior architecture. Jonas Wagell is a Swedish architect and designer based in Stockholm. "My design is focused on functional items rather than artistic objects. I appreciate products that can be used everyday and be a part of people's lives. I believe affection and emotion is more important than exclusivity and expensive materials. My aim is to create simplistic objects that are easy to understand and use, but try to add something personal and expressive. I like to call this philosophy a 'generous minimalism'. Great design is not made by expensive materials per se, but rather a combination of functionality and affection. It has to withstand the wear and tear of eye and time." It was certainly no accident that Karl Malmvall became a furniture designer. He more or less grew up in Karl Andersson & Sons’ furniture factory in Huskvarna, a firm started by his grandfather and for which his own father designed furniture. After studying at the Carl Malmsten school in Stockholm and the Aarhus architectural college in Denmark, Karl was discovered by Gillis Lundgren who was one of Ivar Kamprad’s closest collaborators. This resulted in two decades of working at IKEA, initially at the furniture giant’s design office in Switzerland and thereafter in Jakarta, Indonesia. The years that he spent at IKEA stimulated an interest in the practical details of design that few designers devote much attention to: creating a product that not only works well but that is also well adapted to manufacture and distribution. Over the years Karl has acquired a notable collection of such items and it was the prototype of a folding chair that he presented when he first met with Design House Stockholm’s founder and managing director Anders Färdig. Kristina Stark is an independent industrial designer with clients like Höganäs Keramik, Boda Nova, Gense, and Design House Stockholm. In 2008 she founded and established her own company ‘Design: Kristina Stark’, designing and producing kitchenware and tabletop products under her own label. Lisa Hilland creates contemporary design with a poetic twist, combining modern high-tech production techniques with artisan quality craftsmanship. After graduating from Central St Martin's College of Art and Design, she worked ten years as a designer in London before setting up her own studio in Sweden in 2005. “As a designer I have a great love of materials and how they influence how we perceive an object. I am constantly experimenting with the qualities of materials, making use of them in new combinations. Excellent design triggers our emotions and according to me, materials have a great part to play while designing - or as I call it - giving an object a soul that can be loved.” “The starting point for a project can be solving a challenge of practical or emotional nature, or simply exploring a technique of manufacture or crafts that fascinates me. I aim to create items that are sensitive to human emotions and needs and I always push my clients to consider the environment as far as they possibly can. Therefore I am deeply involved in every project, you often find me on the factory floor looking for more beautiful, eco-friendlier and smarter solutions. The creative process itself is another inspiration and the state of mind I'm in when working. Each project has its own unique progress, as important to me as the finished result. Enjoying the process and exploring new areas of knowledge, I believe is the key to all good design!” “We often ask ourselves: can you really do this? Let’s try. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it does not, but then at least we have tried. One of us works in small scale with details, pragmatic and pondering. The other one thinks big, on an architectural scale. Our work is a hybrid of both.” The design studio Barolo/Mårtensson works in a broad field with clients like IKEA, Svenskt Tenn and Rörstrand. Margot Barolo is a product designer who has delved into the issues of production, challenging the image of the Swedish crafts and design industry and how we evaluate the creation/design of an object. Ulrika Mårtensson is an architect and textile designer. She has been working with large-scale textile installations and development of sound absorbing textiles for public spaces. Matti Klenell’s design style is easily recognisable by its powerful ex- pression, where a decorative harmony is created through balancing bold volumes. With his glass art heritage, it’s no surprise that Matti Klenell feels powerfully drawn to the arts and crafts. Matti Klenell was born in Gothenburg in 1972. He graduated with an MFA from the University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm in 1999. After graduating, he set up his own design studio and today works with international design commissions. In addition to working with projects for serial production, Matti Klenell also develops and produces unique objects as limited editions, mostly in glass. His work can be found at Statens konstmuseer, Nationalmuseum, The Röhsska Museum, Museum of Design and Applied Arts, Gardabaer in Iceland, and Designmuseum Danmark, among others. Matti also had several solo exhibitions and has received several prizes and awards. By helping her grandfather who was a signmaker in Iceland, Ragnheiður Ösp Sigurðardóttir was inspired to work creatively at an early age. “There was always this strong sense of DIY and making things happen. This way of thinking inspired me to open my mind and see that it is possible to create anything.” After studies at the Iceland Academy of Arts and Cranbrook Academy of Arts, Ragnheiður opened her own studio in Reykjavik. The Knot cushion was born in 2011, while she was making bear figures made of crocheted tubes. “I wanted to try tying the tubes into knots and seeing the outcome. I found the idea of a big, soft knot intriguing in a fun kind of pop-arty way. I also like that when you take a first look at the cushion you might not really know what it is, and perhaps that is what draws you closer.”DesignerProducts
Alexander Lervik
Ann Wåhlström
Anna Kraitz
Anna Kraitz is one of Sweden’s leading contemporary designers, with clients such as Källemo, Svenskt Tenn, and Almedahls. She also runs her own label. Anna trained in Hungary and at the Pernby School of Painting. She graduated from Beckmans College of Design in 1999 and has since worked as a furniture and product designer. Anna has received numerous awards including the prestigious Bruno Mathsson prize in 2008, and Swedish Plaza Magazine’s ”Designer of the Year”-award.
Astrid Lindgren
Atelier 2+
Axel Bjurström
Broberg & Ridderstråle
Carina Ahlburg
Carina Seth Andersson
Carina works on commissions from a wide range of Scandinavian and international design producers, as well as in her studio in Gustavsberg, an area famous for its porcelain production in the Stockholm archipelago. With an MFA from Konstfack, Carina lectures at Beckmans College of Design and at various design courses throughout Sweden. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. Her pieces are also part of the permanent collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and Designmuseum Danmark in Copenhagen. View all products→
Caroline Wetterling
Catharina Kippel
Chuck Mack
Claesson Koivisto Rune
When asked about their design philosophy the trio answers that their work is not limited by any defined regulations, but that their only focus is to develop, to improve and never to repeat themselves. They try to engage in any exciting projects that turn up, and architecture and design are equally important to them. View all products→
Eva Schildt
Färg & Blanche
Form Us With Love
Gábor Palotai
Gunilla Allard
Gustav Hallén
Harri Koskinen
From lighting, furniture, watches, loudspeakers, textiles, packaging for Finlandia, art glass to architecture – it’s hard to find a designer with a broader range of work. But we are proud to say the Block Lamp is probably still the one piece Harri is best known for.
Harri has received numerous awards, including the Compasso d’Oro, also known as ’the Nobel Prize of the design industry’. In 2009 Harri received the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Award, one of the world’s largest design awards. The jury noted that despite his young age, Harri is probably Finland’s most renowned designer whose design is a perfect combination of tradition and renewal. View all products→
Helena Sellergren
Jesper Ståhl
Jesper Ståhl & Karl Malmwall
Jessika Källeskog
Jonas Grundell
Jonas Wagell
Karl Malmwall
Kristina Stark
“I am constantly searching for the simplicity. To find the essence. To find the heart of the object. How many times have I endeavored to find the optimal form without any unnecessary lines and decorative elements? Eliminating what can be dispensed with — that is the challenge. It is so much easier to add something than to take it away. The big value of the small details. Simplicity is a difficult goal.”
Lena Bergström
Lina Nordqvist
Lisa Hilland
Magnus Löfgren
Margot Barolo & Ullrika Mårtensson
Marianne Abelsson
Marie-Louise Gustafsson
Mathieu Gustafsson
His creative process often starts with a defined need, a behavior or a technique, with an ambition to find a new angle for the producer he works for. Professionally, Mathieu has a background in graphic design, cabinet making and furniture design.
Specialized in furniture for the contract market Mathieu started and managed the design studio at Tengbom - one of the leading architect firms in Sweden. Today he runs his own studio in Stockholm with projects ranging from design objects to contract furniture to new sustainable materials for the production industry.
www.mathieu.se View all products→
Matti Klenell
Mattias Stenberg
Nanni Holén
Nina Jobs
Ragnheiður Ösp Sigurðardóttir
Relief Group
Sara Szyber
Stig Ahlström
Studio Dejawu
Takafumi Nemoto
Timo Sarpaneva