Spira Sofa by Lisa Hilland

Spira Sofa by Lisa Hilland

After graduating from Central St Martin’s College of Art, Lisa Hilland worked ten years as a designer in London before setting up her own studio in Sweden in 2005. Her current clients include renowned furniture producers such as Orrefors, Konsthantverk, IKEA, Gärsnäs, Gemla, Design House Stockholm and Svenskt Tenn. Lisa Hilland also founded her very own design range of furniture and accessories, Mylhta in 2018.

“As a designer,” says Lisa Hilland, “I am constantly exploring materials and how they influence our perception of an object. Natural materials are close to my heart, and using them in a careful, sustainable way, creating long lasting design. In my work I am aim to enhance a material’s natural qualities, celebrating its specific character, functions and beauty. 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.”

In 2023 Lisa Hilland celebrated 25 years as a designer. You can find her designs sold through auction houses with a value. This manifests Lisa Hillands signum; the creation of longterm high quality design that can be passed down for generations.”

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Chairs!
gje

501 Goteborg Chair by Erik Gunnar Asplund for Cassina

501 Goteborg Chair by Erik Gunnar Asplund for Cassina

Born in Stockholm, Erik Gunnar Asplund occupies a central position in the development of Scandinavian architecture and design of the twentieth century.
He is considered the archetype of the generation that gave rise to the maturing process of the above estates, subsequently developed by such figures as Alvar Aalto, Erik Bryggman, Arne Jacobsen, Jørn Utzon.
After graduating as an architect in 1909, many trips to Europe and the United States punctuated his apprenticeship.
His works from the years 1911 to 1930, influenced by a strong romantic tradition, express a neoclassical language, founded on vernacular cultural bases.
However, it was in 1930, the year of the Stockholm Exhibition, that Asplund managed to go beyond the rigid and stereometric language of the early years of rationalism very clearly by anticipating in a very personal way the trends of the Modern Movement.
His most remarkable works of architecture are: the Chapelle du Bois (1918-20); the Skandia Cinema, Stockholm (1922-23); the Municipal Library, Stockholm (1921-28); the expansion of the Town Hall, Gothenburg (1916-37); the Brendenberg stores, Stockholm (1933-35); the Bacteriological Laboratory (1932-37); his country house in Stennäs (1937); the Crematorium and the southern part of the Stockholm Cemetery: the pinnacle of all his experience.
In terms of decoration and design his most notable works are: the study of popular housing for the exhibition of the Swedish Society of “Arts and Crafts” (1917); interior design for the “Art and Industry” association, Stockholm (1920); the decoration and furniture of the City Hall, Stockholm (1921); some furniture dating back to 1931, such as the famous judge’s chair and the furnishings of the Lister Sölvesborg courthouse; the decoration of the Swedish pavilion at the Paris Exposition (1925); decoration and objects created for the Stockholm Municipal Library (1920-28); the Council Room at the Headquarters of the Arts and Crafts Association (1931); decoration for the Palace of Justice and for the Town Hall, Gothenburg (1916-37).

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Chairs!
gje

Kaiser Chair by Jack Ränge

Kaiser Chair by Jack Ränge

Gemla not only produces new chairs, but it also refurbishes vintage chairs, proud as it is on the quality of its products. This Kaiser Chair is named Kaiser Chair, because it was made for the Kaiser of Japan.

About Jack Ränge

Jack Ränge (1917–2011) worked mostly as an interior architect for the contract market but also designed furniture for companies such as Gemla, Klaessons, and Nässjö Stolfabrik. Ränge is best known for the bentwood chair Kaiser and the laminated chair KS 251 both designed in the 1960s. The two chairs became great successes and were used in several offices and public spaces.

via Mobel Design Museum Sweden

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Chairs!
gje

Post Modern Orbit Sofa by Wolfgang C.R. Mezger

Post Modern Orbit Sofa by Wolfgang C.R. Mezger

This sofa was designed for Dutch manufacturer Artifort

About Artifort

Wallpaper hanger and upholsterer Jules Wagemans (1866-1943) laid the foundation for Dutch manufacturing brand Artifort when he opened his bespoke furnishings atelier, H. Wagemans & Van Tuinen, in Maastricht in 1890. In 1920, his son Henricus Wagemans (1892-1948) took the helm and re-focused the company on the production of solid, well crafted, upholstered armchairs and other seating in traditional styles. In 1927, Henricus changed the company name to Artifort, which he derived from the Latin words, “ars,” meaning “art,” and “fortis,” meaning “strength.” Moving on a trajectory toward an ever-more progressive design approach, in the early 1930s, Artifort acquired a patent for “Epeda” single-steel-wire springs, which had already been used in mattresses and car seats, but never before in domestic furniture. This innovation allowed Artifort to produce more comfortable chairs and sofas in less time and with fewer materials.

In 1939, Dutch designer Theo Ruth (1915-1971) became head of design and development—a position he maintained until his death in 1971—and proved instrumental in establishing Artifort as one of the most design-conscious companies of the 20th century. After World War II, under the directorship of Henricus’s son H. J. J. (Harry) Wagemans (b. 1921), Artifort acquired a high-pressure molding machine, which allowed for much more minimalist yet cushioned designs. Early examples of this reduced style include Ruth’s Congo Chair (1952) and Penguin Chair (1953).

Artifort’s signature vibrant and biomorphic aesthetic fully blossomed when Dutch designer Kho Liang Ie (1927-1975) agreed to consult for the company, starting in 1958. In addition to designing a number of iconic pieces for Artifort, Kho instigated important collaborations with foreign designers, most notably French designer Pierre Paulin (1927-2009) and British designer Geoffrey Harcourt (b. 1935). As tastes for space-age designs peaked in the 1960s and 1970s, Artifort found international success, especially with Paulin’s colorful, jersey-covered “seat sculptures,” like Orange Slice Chair (1960), Model 560 Mushroom Chair (1963), Model 582 Ribbon Chair (1966), and Model 577 Tongue Chair (1966-7). Since the 1970s, a variety of standout designers have collaborated with Artifort, including Gijs Bakker, Jasper Morrison, René Holten, Patrick Norguet, and Khodi Feiz.

Artifort pieces are included in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein.

In 1998, the Lande Group in Schijndel purchased Artifort from the Wagemans family, opening new factories in Schijndel and Lanaken in Belgium. The company celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2015.

Via Pamono

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Chairs!
gje

Blu Sofa by Silene Tunesi for Adele C

Blu Sofa by Selene Tunesi for Adele C

Adele C being the “daughte of”, or Adele Cassina, daughter of Cesare Cassina.

#17 of the Big Sofa Book.

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Chairs!
gje