Mid-Century Modern serving trolley in teak by Yngve Ekström for Källemo

Yngve Ekström

Sweden (1913-1988) 

The architect Yngve Ekström is a superb representative for light, Scandinavian design and a significant contributor to the definition of "Scandinavian Modern".

He was born in Hagafors in southern Sweden, the home of Sweden's oldest furniture manufacturer, where his father worked. He gained a very versatile knowledge and skills in furniture design and manufacturing, further developed through studies in design, drawing and interior decoration. In 1945 he started Swedese Furniture (initially ESE furniture) in Vaggeryd, Sweden, together with his brother Jerker.

The breakthrough came with the easy chair "Lamino", in 1956, in which he combined austerity with lightness, beauty with function. In the 1960's he creates a variety of furniture made of swedish pine. Around these years the two brothers also start a lighting factory, Lystella AB. He also designed furniture for companies such as Stolab and Broby. (Ekström image reproduced with permission from Brita-Lena Ekström in accordance with Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license)