Scandinavian designs made up a large part of the whole industry of home furnishings (heminredning) in the 20th century, and there are several stand out designers that contributed to this. Some of these names are Bruno Mathsson, Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobson, and Alvar Aalto. One of the most prominent, though, is the memorable Yngve Ekström, who was born in 1913 in the city of Hagafors, Sweden.

Since Hagafors is the city in Sweden with the oldest presence in the furniture (möbler) business, it was no surprise that a young Yngve Ekström would be drawn to what was so popular and pervasive in his environment. Like many of the Scandinavian designers, he did not only study wood crafting, but also learned from academic study of art history as well as painting, drawing and sculpture. Many of the style elements in his work are obviously related to those studies.

Together with his brother Jerker, he founded a globally recognized furniture (möbler) company named Swedese. From its inception in 1945, he continued to work at the company until he passed away some four decades later. Swedes produces furnishings that are well suited for both the home and office due to their fine blend of simplicity and artistic flair.

Possibly Ekström's most famous piece was the Lamino chair, first produced in the 1950's and still in production and popular now. The Lamino chair was actually named the best Swedish chair of the Twentieth Century by a Swedish design magazine in 1999 and received another significant award, the Design Innovation, by the I.M.M. in Cologne in 2003.

This chair has attractive curves viewed from the side as well as seen head on and often is sold with a matching ottoman. 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 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 (heminredning) industry, and some names truly stand out. Yngve Ekström was a Scandinavian designer in Hagafors, a city in Sweden with a proud history of furniture making. He was drawn into that very popular and well regarded historical business as well. Swedese produced items that were elegant and artistic home pieces. In 1999, a Swedish design magazine reported that the Lamino chair was the greatest Swedish furniture design in the Twentieth Century. In 2003, the Lamino chair was awarded the prestigious Design Innovation, by the I.M.M. in Cologne. Visit http://www.contentspooling.net/public.php?id=164&a=2664 if you'd like a unique version of this article for your website.