House of Gärsnäs Apartment at Stockholm Design Week

InteriorsNordic DesignSustainable Design

17 Feb

A wide rattan and leather upholstered lounge chair styled in a corner of a minimal Swedish apartment at the Gärsnäs showroom. — *Dandy rattan and leather easy chair with footstool by Pierre Sindre.*

Gärsnäs, one of Sweden's oldest furniture brands has just launched a new showroom at Stockholm Design Week. Based in Skåne, it has been leading the way with sustainable furniture in its family run workshop since 1893.

A history spanning 128 years has created an archive of striking Scandinavian classics lead by well-known designer and owner Åke Axelsson and Anna and Dag Klockby. Known more for furnishing public spaces, the brand now longs to reach a wider audience to see its furniture in private homes. I'd welcome any of their designs in a heart beat.

*Armchairs and sofa Julius by Färg & Blanche, small table Elna by Thomas Sandell.*

Curated by designer Nina Jobs, Gärsnäs marks a new chapter with a more relaxed and informal way to view their most iconic designs.

The collection is styled as they would be in a home setting inside a 17th century apartment in the Old Town district of Stockholm. And with views across to Skeppsholmen island, 'House of Gärnäs' is everything you would imagine a modern Scandinavian home to be.

In times when more and more people work from home, home environments are facing an interesting development. How should our homes change? What should happen to traditional spaces and apartment plans? What should be attractive in a few years?

Gärsnäs

A moody Scandinavian dining room at the Gärsnäs apartment with an extendable pale oak dining table and mis-matched dining chairs.

Baroque architecture reveals sweeping high ceilings with intricate cornicing and panelling. Moving through the apartment, each room is painted in tonal, neutral shades of eggshell, putty and chalk, creating a warm and minimal style that's elegant and harmonious. It's the perfect canvas for some of the most beautiful examples of Scandinavian furniture that I have ever seen.

Close-up details of the Dandy rattan and leather lounge chair on parque wood floors in a Stockholm apartment.

A light beige dining room with a long oak dining table and mix of pale oak and leather dining chairs. — *A mix of different dining chairs in oak makes for a softer, more informal dining space.*

The collection spans earlier classics such as Åke Axelsson's 'Linnea', a modern take on the Thonet chair to the contemporary Bleck sofa, inspired by the back of a canvas frame, designed by TAF.

And the company continues its pledge towards sustainable production. Not only does it take back older pieces for renovation but is committed to being completely circular and carbon neutral by 2030.