Den hållbara formen (The Sustainable Design) is a beautifully illustrated book about interior architect and master furniture maker Åke Axelsson (Carlsson bokförlag), authored by design writer Petter Eklund.
Across 300 pages, the book lets a selection of Åke’s chairs and interiors tell his story: from today’s sustainability perspective to his upbringing in the Småland countryside in the 1930s and 40s. The book follows Åke through design assignments across seven decades: from libraries and restaurants to royal palaces. Each piece of furniture has its own tale to tell; each interior its own history, which often led to the creation of new furniture. Simultaneously, it is the story of modern Sweden’s development and the role of the interior architect. Åke calls it “functionalist”, not in style, but in the proper meaning of the word. His furniture for Gärsnäs are some of the factory’s bestsellers. The first chair he designed for the factory, S 217, was launched in 1963, and became a classic that is still made today. That’s what we call sustainable design.
