Hemvist │ 2023
PD23 Winner
Category:Furniture - Seating UnitsLocation:Norsjö, SwedenDesigner:Alexander Lervik, Lervik Design AB., Stockholm, SwedenManufacturer:Drömtrappor AB, Norsjö, Sweden
Just over 600 kilometers north of Gävle, at the same height as Skellefteå and in the middle of the Västerbottnian forests lies Norsjö.
A company ‘Drömtrappor’ has existed here since 1922. “I remember the first time I visited the factory; it is the only time in my 25 years in the furniture industry that I got goosebumps from seeing how the production is done. In front of me, furniture craftsmen worked with materials that mostly came from the forests outside the factory. It couldn’t be more sustainable.” says Alexander Lervik.
The craftsmanship of the employees made him think of quality furniture managed over generations. For Drömtrappor, he has designed a staircase that focuses on the beautiful details that join the parts of the staircase. From a climate perspective, making products from wood is the most sustainable option.
He has created a limited-edition piece of furniture from the leftover wood that occurs during the manufacture of the stairs; an armchair, a small table, and a bench where he uses the same technique ‘with tenons and wedges’ as in the manufacture of Hemvist stairs. In this furniture collection, he has simplified the shape to a graphic simplicity with a strong identity.
DESIGNER BIO
Alexander Lervik is one of Scandinavia’s foremost designers with several products in the permanent collections at the National Museum in Oslo and the National Museum in Stockholm. He works with leading Scandinavian brands such as Designhouse Stockholm, Adea, Noon, Zero and Orrefors/kosta Boda. Internationally, he has collaborated with, among others, Moroso in Italy.
In 2007, he scanned his own brain and 3d printed it into the MYBRAIN lamp in a limited edition, which is described by several auction houses as the first signature object in Scandinavia for 3D print technology. Among his most famous products are the Brighthandle door handle that communicates with colored light and the light swing sense.
Alexander Lervik’s design is timeless Scandinavian with a twist – often containing an innovation and often with new areas of use. Alexander has had solo exhibitions at the National Museum in Stockholm, Sven Harry’s Art Museum in Stockholm and a retrospective exhibition at the Kulturhuset in Stockholm in 2018.
More works from the designer: www.lervik.se