Malmö, Sweden

Swedish designers Axel Landström and Victor Isaksson Pirtti from the Malmö design office Lab La Bla have re-imagined Yngve Ekström’s 1956 Lamino chair using pigment, lacquer, leather, shaved fur, and freshwater pearls.

In 1999 “Lamino” was crowned furniture of the century and today it still holds its spot in the limelight.

Lamino is a true Swedish celebrity that most Swedes either know of, or have heard of. 

People the designers have talked to described how the chair evoked memories of a dysfunctional family, visits to the psychologist, or breezy summer nights, while others thought of it as a chair for lazy dads or raging grandmas. 

It was inspiring to listen to these wildly different experiences all around a chair, noting how most people talked about the Lamino as if it was a “someone”—and not a “something.”

Materialized in these “Lab La Bla-minos” are collective memories about love, hate, and summer breaks—stories that shape-shift and come to life in a schizophrenic and hyper-democratic manner.

Still in production today, the timeless chair has maintained a strong presence in living spaces across Sweden as well as in the minds and hearts of generations of Swedes. 

In this project, the studio re-imagines the legendary Lamino chair, but with different personalities.

Project: Lamino Chair
Designers: Lab La Bla 
Lead Designers: Axel Landström and Victor Isaksson Pirtti
Original Designer: Yngve Ekström’s (1956)