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Yngve Ekström - A Study In Furniture Design
12:29 AM, Sunday, February 22, 2009
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One major component of the 20th century home furnishings industry was Scandinavian design. While that movement featured many noteworthy figures, including Bruno Mathsson, Hans Wegner, Alvar Aalto and Arne Jacobsen, perhaps one of the most memorable is Yngve Ekström, who was born in Hagafors, Smaland, Sweden in 1913. It is no surprise that Yngve Ekström was drawn to the business of furniture (möbler) design, as Hagafors is the city in Sweden with the longest tradition in the art, thus it was a popular pursuit to undertake. As with many Scandinavian designers, Ekström studied more than just wood crafting, but also such pursuits as art history, painting, drawing, and sculpting. Many of the elements of these different pursuits can be found in his designs.
Along with his brother Jerker he founded Swedese in 1945, which is one of the most highly respected producers of modern furniture (möbler) today. He was active in the company for more than forty years, all the way up until his passing. Swedese products included elegant artistic pieces for use in the home, but the designs also became quite popular for use in upscale offices and businesses due to their clean, utilitarian construction.
The Lamino Chair, which is probably his most well known piece was originally created in the 1950's. This chair is still being made today and is a much sought after piece. In 1999, a Swedish design magazine reported that the Lamino chair was the greatest Swedish chair in the Twentieth Century. In 2003, the Lamino chair was awarded the prestigious Design Innovation, by the I.M.M. in Cologne.
This chair has attractive curves viewed from the side as well as seen head on and often is sold with a matching ottoman (Lamino med pall). It can be made in a wide variety of woods for the frame and the upholstery can also match nearly any desire or taste, from sheepskin to woven cloth webbing. The versatility and simple good looks have contributed to the long popularity and the chairs sell well in the two to three thousand dollar range for new models. Earlier examples have sold for much more.
Yngve Ekström not only continued to design until his death in 1988, he also continued to be at the helm of his company. This ability to manage and produce new innovations only added to his legend. His chairs add to many styles of decor (inredning) and look exceptionally good with hardwood floors. While his designs were often breakthroughs when created, most have become true classics.
Scandinavian design was a very big part of the 20th century home furnishings (inredning) industry, and some names truly stand out. A young Swedish man quickly stood out; yngve ekström from Hagafors, in Sweden with a rich history of furniture (möbler) making. He studied wood crafting and design along with courses in art history, drawing, and sculpture allowing him to incorporate stylistic elements he learned in those classes into his work. He and his brother (Jerker) created Swedese in 1945. He continued to be active in the company until he passed away, leaving a career that spanned more than forty years. If you would like a unique variant of this article to publish on your website go to http://www.contentspooling.net/public.php?id=164&a=2664
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