10 Questions With. Åke Axelsson
May 4, 2021
Designer and craftsman, Åke Axelsson. Photography by Bastian Birk Thuesen.
Åke Axelsson is one of Sweden s most respected designers and interior architects. During his career he has designed more than 200 chairs, earning him the moniker the king of chairs. Raised on a small farm in southern Sweden in the 1930s and 40s he learned traditional handicrafts at an early age before leaving home to train as a cabinetmaker.
By the 60s, he had branched out into interior architecture, specializing in large-scale interior commissions and began designing chairs specifically for his projects. In 2003, together with his daughter and son-in-law, Axelsson purchased Gärsnäs, a then struggling furniture factory that is now one of Sweden s most successful furniture manufacturers.