Some months before last Stockholm Furniture fair, Blå Station decided to ask two of their designers, Thomas Bernstrand and Stefan Borselius, to take part in a project called Experiment 2015. The design brief was to create three design classics for public environments in an entirely open design process where the designers should coach, debate and criticise each other. They also took on the task of selecting a third designer and after much head scratching rather they concluded that it should be Blå Station’s own, design manager, CEO and producer, Johan Lindau.
The three individual armchairs born by this innovative and collaborative “way of working” were presented at the Stockholm Furniture fair 2015:
Poppe by Stefan Borselius.
It is, with its exact sitting angles and the thinnest possible shell, exploring just how narrow an armchair can really be. Poppe is despite its minimal dimensions an elegant and comfortable creation that seems to be a distant relative, and “lean” version of the iconic Oppo. “This wasn’t to be an armchair that you sit in or a stool that you sit on- says Stefan- but rather an armchair that you sit with. A narrow style that provides mobility. I didn’t want it to be merely easy to move around and furnish with, but also easier for the user to move with the chair.”
Honken by Thomas Bernstrand.
It is an inviting armchair or an intimate, flirtatious two-seater sofa, constructed of robust sheet and expanded metal but with sensually turned legs. “I love products sold at flea markets and auctions -says Thomas- which people buy even though they are terribly scruffy. Some pieces of furniture can be in very poor condition, but you buy them anyway, straighten them out, apply a new layer of varnish; these layers create a beautiful patina of history.”
Morris Jr by Johan Lindau.
It is inspired by an old masterpiece called Morris, designed by Lindau & Lindekrantz, 50 years ago. Morris JR is a mobile, generous and easy to place arm-chair where the strict shape is softened by the backrest cushion as the cherry on top.
“I also wanted to work with mobility as a natural interplay with the user- says Johan- With wheels on the armchair, the furniture becomes both usable and easy to move without injury.
