Brand
Swedese
SwedenSwedese was founded in 1945 in Vaggeryd, Småland, by the designer Yngve Ekström, his brother Jerker and their friend Bertil Sjöqvist. In the 1950s the small town had 16 furniture companies employing just over half its working population;…
Brand Story
Heritage
Swedese was founded in 1945 in Vaggeryd, Småland, by the designer Yngve Ekström, his brother Jerker and their friend Bertil Sjöqvist. In the 1950s the small town had 16 furniture companies employing just over half its working population; today Swedese is the only one left, still based in the same building in Vaggeryd.
Philosophy
The company describes its approach as sophisticated simplicity from Småland. Yngve Ekström was an all-round artist: besides the furniture he designed the head office with L+M Architects, created the logo, took photographs and produced the catalogues. Swedese says it most wants to preserve his curiosity about the world, about culture and about the future.
Iconic Works
Ekström's Lamino easy chair (1956), made of molded, layer-glued veneer, was voted furniture of the century by Sköna hem readers in 1999 and remains the company's constant bestseller, alongside the low-back Laminett and later pieces by designers such as Broberg & Ridderstråle, Anna Elzer Oscarson and Khodi Feiz.
Today
Swedese furniture is made in its own factories in Småland — in Vaggeryd, next to the head office, and in Äng outside Nässjö — with full control from the prototype workshop to every production step. Some processes, such as those for Lamino, require the same craftsmanship today as in the 1950s.
Gallery
