Essem Design: Step into a world of timeless design

By Nina Bressler | Photos: Essem

Essem Design is the family company in which enduring design comes first. Simplicity, functionality and history shapes its timeless collections, comprising classics such as the Nostalgi Hat Rack, the Classic Shoe Rack and the Mama Hook that have graced design-conscious hallways for decades.

Essem Design has been around for a while. With roots going back to 1937, the company understands how to create timeless pieces that will retain purpose and quality. Founded in Anderstorp in the region of Gnosjö, famous for its Gnosjö spirit and part of the impressive furniture tradition that springs from the landscape of Småland, the venture was born when Gunnar Bolin decided to create a hat rack from melted-down scrap aluminium from World War II.

The company grew as its name became synonymous with iconic design pieces. In 2002, the former quality manager Sten-Roger Bladh took over the reins and acquired the rights to the products through a spin-off from the foundry. His two children, Frida and Robert Bladh, joined in 2013. The offices have remained in Anderstorp since the beginning and, by maintaining a production that is as local as possible, the company stays true to its Småland roots and keeps its design legacy intact.

Essem Design: Step into a world of timeless design

Left: Celebrated and award-winning – the Mama Hook. Right: Sustainable material.

The art of welcoming

From the beginning, hallway furniture has been Essem’s forte and focus. That the hallway is where first impressions are formed, guests are greeted and parting ways takes place is the foundation of each furniture item’s design. Building on these ideas is what the company does best. “Extracting tradition and history to build our furniture is how we manage to create a story about the hallway. In our view, this isn’t just a passage, it’s a welcome into someone’s space, an entryway into new impressions and memories. We believe it should be celebrated as such and be a space dedicated to quality and design, just as every other room of the house,” says CEO Robert Bladh.

Essem’s designs encompass hat racks, shoe racks, hangers, mirrors, benches, shoehorns and any other accessory that a hallway requires. Its products are widely used in offices and public spaces, as well as private homes, and they are a popular choice for architects, thanks to their simplicity and functionality. These focal points haven’t gone unnoticed abroad; Essem’s Scandinavian design is exported widely to Europe, the USA and beyond.

Lasting design

Sustainability is a given and has been since the founding days. Essem’s first hat rack Nostalgi is still produced with recycled aluminium, and all raw materials are sourced as locally as possible. Its production facilities use 100 per cent green energy and the company produces a sustainability report on a biannual basis to declare its expenditure, with a constant mission to become better at what it does.

“Sustainability is not just about production or materials, it’s also about mindset, and we believe true sustainability is achieved when all these variables come together. The design is created to last today, tomorrow and for the next 50 years. Our team culture is also framed with a sustainability mindset: happy people want to do better and create better ideas, and they want products that have a positive impact on their surroundings,” says Bladh. Essem products are made to last a lifetime, with a ten-year guarantee issued on every item. As such, the company is constantly innovating to find new and clever ways to make it easier to repair small parts, instead of exchanging an entire product.

Pieces with personality

You’ve probably seen them. The Essem collection is a veritable showcase of classics that have played an integral part in innumerable homes in Sweden and beyond for a substantial part of the 20th century and into the 21st. The Nostalgi Hat Rack collection comprises three clean single bars of wood, perfectly locked together with a couple of metal bars and finished with three hooks. The Classic Shoe Rack sees a grid of thin steel bars perfectly assembled without sharp edges – a retro oeuvre designed by Gunnar Bolin. The award-winning, simple yet functional Mama Hook subtly sits on the wall and holds anything from jackets to keys.

Thanks to successful collaborations with prominent designers, past and present, Essem’s reputation as a Scandinavian design beacon lives on. “Our products have been loved by the public for decades and seeing how they stand the test of time is a true testament to the design. Functionality, sustainability and personality will always be at the core of our products – a combination we believe will work as well in the next century as it did in the past,” Bladh concludes.