Scandinavian design was a very big part of the 20th century home furnishings industry, and some names truly stand out. Among these are Bruno Mathsson, Hans Wegner, Alvar Aalto and Arne Jacobsen but one of the most memorable is Yngve Ekström, born in Hagafors, Smaland, Sweden in 1913.

It is no surprise that Yngve Ekström was drawn to the business of furniture design, as Hagafors is the city in Sweden with the longest tradition in the art, thus it was a popular pursuit to undertake. As with many Scandinavian designers, Ekström studied more than just wood crafting, but also such pursuits as art history, painting, drawing, and sculpting. Many of the elements of these different pursuits can be found in his designs.

In 1945 he and his bother Jerker founded Swedese, one of the most respected makers of modern furnishings in the world. He remained active in the company until his death, a career of more than forty years. Products from Swedese included elegant artistic pieces for the home, but the clean profiles and utilitarian construction also made their wares popular in upscale offices and business applications.

The Lamino Chair, which is probably his most well known piece was originally created in the 1950's. This chair is still being made today and is a much sought after piece. In 1999, a Swedish design magazine reported that the Lamino chair was the greatest Swedish chair in the Twentieth Century. In 2003, the Lamino fåtölj was awarded the prestigious Design Innovation, by the I.M.M. in Cologne.

Sometimes sold with a matching ottoman (Lamino med pall), this chair has very attractive curves when seen from the side or front. Made in a variety of wood framework, the upholstery can also be picked from a myriad of desires and tastes. From woven cloth, all the way to sheepskin. Selling in the two to three thousand dollar range on new models, sometimes more on the older models, the simple elegant looks and durability have long contributed to the chairs popularity.

At the head of his company until his death in 1988, Yngve Ekström continued to produce many legendary ideas. His style is very versatile and long lasting and ideas which were radical at first are now the main stays of good design, complimenting all kinds of decorating options (inredning) and looking especially good with wooden floors.

Yngve Ekström was a talented designer from Hagafors, a city in Sweden with a long history of furniture (möbler) making. He was drawn into that very popular and well regarded business as well. Like many in the town, he applied his own style to his work. He studied wood crafting and design along with courses in art history, drawing, and sculpture allowing him to incorporate stylistic elements he learned in those classes into his work. He and his brother (Jerker) created Swedese in 1945. The company has become one of the most respected producers of modern woodwork and decor (hem möbler) in the world. To get a version of this article that you can put on your website please visit http://www.contentspooling.net/public.php?id=164&a=2664