There are many replicas, imitations, and interpretations of popular outdoor furniture – but only a few originals. Skargaarden is the exclusive producer of the iconic chairs H55 and Kryss by Björn Hultén and the Viken chair by Gunilla Norin – timeless furniture manufactured exactly according to the original designs, with the utmost precision in every detail and materials that withstand harsh weather conditions all year round.
”Skargaarden is very proud that Gunilla Norin and Barbro Hultén, who now manage Björn Hultén’s design rights, have given us the trust to take over and manage the design rights and take these outstanding Swedish design treasures into the future. It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of praise, and it is therefore no wonder that many people tried to copy these pieces of furniture. But when you buy an original design, you know that the furniture is constructed and designed exactly as the designer intended many decades before, and always with the highest possible quality, something that is especially important with furniture that will be used season after season”, says Jari Visuri, CEO and co-founder of Skargaarden.
H55 – the instant success
Björn Hultén is one of the most celebrated designers in Swedish furniture design and his legacy and influence cannot be overestimated. During his career, he designed close to 200 chairs for all kind of environments. In 1955 he designed the sun lounger H55, whose name is an allusion to the 1955 Helsingborg exhibition, where the chair was shown for the first time and received enormous attention, despite the fact that many of history´s most famous designers – including Alvar Aalto and Arne Jacobsen – were present at the exhibition. Over the years, the timeless stripped-down sun lounger has become loved worldwide and therefore also served as an obvious source of reference and inspiration for countless interpretations and imitations. The comfort achieved with such spare use of material is so perfect that it is almost provocative. And despite its discreet character, the H55 becomes an immediate focal point in the garden or pool area.
Kryss – with long historical heritage
20 years later, in 1975, Björn Hultén was commissioned to furnish the Swedish embassy in Cairo. For the building´s terrace, he designed Kryss, a foldable and very comfortable chair reminiscent of a type of safari chair that was popular in the 19th century, when Egypt was part of the British Empire. But the chair´s heritage was much older than that. In 1960, Hultén visited Cairo to see the Egyptian National Museum´s collection of furniture from Tutankhamun´s tomb and it was there that he saw the model for what would later become Kryss. The chair he saw was made of ebony and decorated with ivory and gold, but Björn Hultén instead imagined a chair made of wood and fabric that could be easily folded. In this way, Kryss is a subtle but clear nod to an Egyptian heritage that predates the British safari chair by some three thousand years. Today, Skargaarden manufactures Kryss in the finest teak, with a comfortable seat cushion and durable fabrics for outdoor use.
Viken – the world’s most imitated outdoor chair
When interior and furniture designer Gunilla Norin designed Viken in 1983, it was because she wanted a practical and comfortable chair for her own balcony. In the 40 years that have passed since she created Viken, it has become the most imitated of all outdoor chairs. The design, with its overlapping slats and absence of frame, screws, hinges, or other metal parts, is deceptively simple but the all-wood execution is perfect; unique character, exquisite craftsmanship, and extreme comfort combined with flexible function. An unrivaled original. Viken was later developed into a whole series of chairs and two tables made of sustainable beautiful teak – which gets more beautiful with the years.
High-resolution images here.
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About Skargaarden
Skargaarden is a Swedish brand with roots in Gävle. Traditionally Scandinavian in design, Skargaarden also draws inspiration from a wide range of sources such as the American shaker style and Bauhaus. The brand works according to the motto “less is more”, making ideas tangible. One should be able to immediately grasp the concept of a piece, it should not be an intellectual process.
Skargaarden’s design exudes a sense of simplicity, characterized by genuine craftsmanship, both in terms of production and choice of materials. Skargaarden collaborates with several of Scandinavia’s leading designers, such as Alexander Lervik and Emma Olbers. Over the years, Skargaarden has won several accolades and nominations. In 2014, the three chairs Resö, Oxnö, and Grinda were nominated for the prestigious German Design Awards and the Anholt collection won the same award in 2020. Skargaarden’s Arholma Chair won the Archiproducts Design Awards 2018.
Read more at www.skargaarden.com
