Svedholm Design: Curves, cyclops and one more minute for the planet

With sleek product designs and clever interior solutions for hotels, offices and public spaces, Svedholm Design is pushing boundaries in the furniture sector.

Svedholm Design, established in 1993 by furniture designer Jan Svedholm, designs and produces timeless furniture along with interiors for public spaces and offices. In a market dominated by a few large furniture chains, Svedholm Design is like a breath of fresh air. The Uppsala-based team is highly experienced, with specialist skills and a high-quality guarantee at the core of each project.

“We work closely with our clients, from idea to delivery,” says Jan. “Products and solutions are developed in collaboration with architects and custom-made to fit each specific brief. Being a small company, we can be more flexible in our approach and more direct in our communication, which is appreciated by our clients.”

Left: Mirror Orbit. Right: PIHR’s Stockholm’s office, shelf system Unit, design by Malin Berglund and Anna Sjöberg.

Elegant hotels and public spaces

Svedholm Design’s niche products are made from sustainable materials such as metal and glass, often for clients who operate public spaces. Many high-profile hotels are attracted to its stylish designs and clever solutions, for instance Downtown Camper by Scandic in Stockholm. The hotel has installed One More Minute in its showers, a five-minute hourglass with a powder-coated stainless-steel holder. “With today’s focus on sustainability, we hope this product will encourage guests to think about how long they’re in the shower,” says Jan.

Downtown Camper by Scandic has also opted for Borderline, a sleek mirror with a frame in chromium-plated or powder-coated wire. As with many of Svedholm Design’s products, the Borderline collection is approved by Byggvarubedömningen, a non-profit organisation owned by large constructors and property owners in Sweden, and assessed in SundaHus Material Data.

Haymarket by Scandic, another hotel in Stockholm, has incorporated Svedholm Design’s illuminated mirrors and commodes in its restrooms, as well as bedside tables and coffee tables in guest rooms, and chandeliers and tables in the lobby and restaurant. Svedholm Design’s products can be seen in many other hotels and public spaces, such as the glass hangers and pendant ceiling lighting in Phil’s Burger in Stockholm, or the Prisma table in mirrored glass at the Sony Music Entertainment headquarters in Berlin, Germany.

Sustainable and re-usable materials

Some designs are for products not usually perceived as stylish; such as dispensers for paper towels in public restrooms. However, Svedholm Design’s bathroom series Slits is a great example of how innovative design can bring elegance to otherwise overlooked products. “It’s an inspiring challenge to design for a pre-determined function, as with paper towel dispensers or toilet brush holders,” elaborates Jan. “But we see it as an opportunity: what can and can’t we do with the design and the production? How can we make it interesting and bring it into the future? This is where the charm lies.”

The latest addition, Curve, is a series of playful and colourful tables in different sizes and shapes. Named after their soft curving forms, the tables are made of powder-coated aluminium and are available in any colour upon request. Other examples of creative design are the two one-eyed mirrors Cyclops, which can be combined in many ways, and the mirror Orbit with a frame in powder-coated wire. Svedholm Design also creates modular shelf systems such as Millimeter, with a chrome-plated wire frame and a shelf in veneered oak, and Unit which is made of perforated powder-coated steel.

All production is based in Sweden, with a focus on sustainable and reusable materials. “Our production is local, which means short lead times and transport to minimise the carbon footprint,” says Jan. “It’s an important part of our business model.”

Left: Scandic Park Stockholm, mirror Borderline. Middle: Sony Music Entertainment headquarters Berlin, table Prisma. Photo: Stefan Lucks. Right: Sony Music Entertainment headquarters Berlin, bathroom series Slits. Photo: Stefan Lucks

Meet Svedholm Design at ORGATEC, the leading international trade fair for the modern working world. It takes place 25-29 October in Cologne, Germany.

Web: svedholm.se
Instagram: @svedholm_design