Michael and Thomas Asplund founded Asplund Gallery to exhibit furniture as objects of fine art, and vice versa. Michael, originally an art dealer, had long thought about combining art and design within a business venture. In 1990, Thomas Asplund left his job as banker to team up with his brother. With their unconventional backgrounds, the duo brought fresh ideas to the industry. Seeing furniture as objects of art was a new way of thinking that quickly caught on. The Asplund brothers asked Jonas Bohlin to design the original Asplund Gallery in Stockholm. With its concrete floors and white washed walls, it was the quintessence of Scandinavian light. The gallery soon became a stage for contemporary Swedish design. Exhibits featured work by the likes of Jonas Bohlin, John Kandell and Thomas Sandell. The Asplund brothers began to develop their own line of furniture and design pieces under the name EDITION ASPLUND. Among the first items released was a CD rack and a stool, both designed by Thomas Sandell. The stool, released under the name Wedding Stool, was originally created as a wedding gift for Jonas Bohlin and his bride. By the end of 1995, Asplund had outgrown its original site and moved to larger premises. A showroom, three times the size, was chosen on Sibyllegatan 31. Sandra Adrian Asplund, Creative Director, joined the team in 1995 to define and develop the different parts of the company. In these early years Asplund Collection was exhibited under the joint-venture name SWECODE, short for Swedish Contemporary Design, at furniture fairs in Stockholm, Cologne and Milan, together with BOX, CBI, David Design and Forminord. The idea was together as a group, they could market Swedish design globally in a more powerful way. It became a success and all eyes were on Scandinavia.
Prodotti in evidenza
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Psichiko, Athens
Switzerland
Alfredo Häberli was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1964. He moved to Switzerland in 1977 and graduated 1991 with distinction in Industrial Design at the Höhere Schule für Gestaltung in Zurich. Today, he is an internationally established designer based in Zurich and is working for some of the leading companies of the international design industry such as Alias, BD Barcelona, BMW, Camper, FSB, Georg Jensen, Iittala, Kvadrat, Luceplan, Moroso, Schiffini and Vitra. He manages to unite tradition with innovation, joy and energy in his designs and his work is strongly influenced by his early childhood in Argentina as well as his curiousness and studies in everyday life. The results are works with a strong expression and emotionality. Alfredo Häberli's work and designs have been shown in numerous exhibitions throughout Europe and he has received many awards for his work during the past 16 years. A personal monograph «Alfredo Häberli - Sketching My Own Landscape» was published by Frame Publishers in Amsterdam and in October 2006 he was guest of honour at the 20th Biennale of Design in Kortrijk, Belgium. In this context the book «Alfredo Häberli Design Live» with photos of some of Switzerlands most influential Artists, interpreting Alfredo Häberlis work, was released and published by Birkhäuser. With his own retrospective exhibition «SurroundThings» in 2008 at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, for which he was responsible for numerous exhibitions since 1988, a personal dream came true. In 2009 he was awarded by A&W magazine (Architektur & Wohnen) as the «Designer of the Year 2009» and honoured with a monograph exhibition on the occasion of the international furniture fair - imm cologne. Alfredo Häberli has been curating «Atelier Pfister – Neues Schweizer Design» by Pfister AG since 2009. Alfredo Häberli's most extensive project to date, the 25hours Hotel Zurich West, was inaugurated in November 2012. He was responsible for the overall interior decoration and designed more than 60 products for the hotel. In 2014 Alfredo Häberli received the prestigious Swiss Grand Prix of Design from the Swiss Federal Office of Culture.
Sweden
Claesson Koivisto Rune is a Swedish architectural partnership, founded in Stockholm, in 1995, by Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto and Ola Rune. Begun as an architectural firm, it is now an internationally acclaimed, multi-disciplinary office with an equal emphasis on both architecture and design. As the first Swedish office to have exhibited in the international section at the Venice Architecture Biennale, in 2004, they are also responsible for a wide range of award-winning projects such as K5 Tokyo, Grand Hotel Terminus, Villa Terminus, Zander K and Bergen Børs hotels in Bergen, Norway, Inde/Jacobs gallery building in Marfa, Texas, Sfera Building culture house in Kyoto, the Tind Prefab house collection for Fiskarhedenvillan, Widlund House private villa on Öland, Örsta Gallery building in Kumla, Nobis Hotel and Hotel Skeppsholmen in Stockholm. They design for such international companies as Arflex, Artifort, Asplund, Boffi, Capdell, Cappellini, David design, Dux, Fontana Arte, Kasthall, Living Divani, Modus, Muuto, Nikari, Offecct, Paola Lenti, Smaller Objects, Studio TK, Tacchini, Wästberg, among others. Claesson Koivisto Rune has received an array of international awards and recognitions, amongst them ten American Good Design Awards 2009 - 18, the Designpreis Deutschland (Gold and Silver) 2011 by the Federal Republic of Germany, Designer of the Year 2011 and Furniture of the Year 2012 by Elle Deco Sweden, both Designer of the Year and Best Seating 2014 by Elle Decor Italia, and the Red Dot Design Award – Best of the Best 2014, making them the first office to hold the prestigious Red Dot in five different product categories, architecture included. In 2015, they also received the prestigious Bruno Mathsson award, the highest honour in furniture design in Sweden and the Scandinavian region. Quotes on Claesson Koivisto Rune “When they unveiled the plans for us we were simply bowled over by the amazing design.” Vilis Inde, Art gallerist and author, Marfa, Texas, USA (From the book ”Claesson Koivisto Rune in Marfa The inde/jacobs gallery”, 2015, ISBN 978-91-877733-02-4) “In my time working as an observer to the design industry, it is rare to see a trio of men working so consistently well together.” Max Fraser, Design author and commentator, London, UK (From the book ”Claesson Koivisto Rune On Yellow”, 2011, ISBN 9789197655743) ”Claesson Koivisto Rune is a prime example of the power of contemporary design. Architecture and design are not only one profession, but they also lose the scale difference that allowed them to be kept separate.” Paola Antonelli, Curator of Architecture and Design, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA (From the book “Claesson Koivisto Rune Architecture/Design”, Birkhäuser 2007, ISBN: 978-3-7643-7948-3) ”The architecture and furniture designs by Claesson Koivisto Rune are the most evident example of the way inventiveness, humour and the reversals of stock forms can produce new panoramas for our minds, and these panoramas can be expressed with an instinctive simplicity, not with a reductive and faint-hearted minimalism.” Italo Lupi, Editor and Art Director of Abitare magazine, Italy (From the book ”Nine Houses Claesson Koivisto Rune”, 2003, ISBN 4-9901483-0-4 C0052)
Informazioni su ASPLUND
Michael and Thomas Asplund founded Asplund Gallery to exhibit furniture as objects of fine art, and vice versa. Michael, originally an art dealer, had long thought about combining art and design within a business venture. In 1990, Thomas Asplund left his job as banker to team up with his brother. With their unconventional backgrounds, the duo brought fresh ideas to the industry. Seeing furniture as objects of art was a new way of thinking that quickly caught on. The Asplund brothers asked Jonas Bohlin to design the original Asplund Gallery in Stockholm. With its concrete floors and white washed walls, it was the quintessence of Scandinavian light. The gallery soon became a stage for contemporary Swedish design. Exhibits featured work by the likes of Jonas Bohlin, John Kandell and Thomas Sandell. The Asplund brothers began to develop their own line of furniture and design pieces under the name EDITION ASPLUND. Among the first items released was a CD rack and a stool, both designed by Thomas Sandell. The stool, released under the name Wedding Stool, was originally created as a wedding gift for Jonas Bohlin and his bride.
By the end of 1995, Asplund had outgrown its original site and moved to larger premises. A showroom, three times the size, was chosen on Sibyllegatan 31. Sandra Adrian Asplund, Creative Director, joined the team in 1995 to define and develop the different parts of the company.
In these early years Asplund Collection was exhibited under the joint-venture name SWECODE, short for Swedish Contemporary Design, at furniture fairs in Stockholm, Cologne and Milan, together with BOX, CBI, David Design and Forminord. The idea was together as a group, they could market Swedish design globally in a more powerful way. It became a success and all eyes were on Scandinavia.
Asplund’s exhibitions and design collaborations includes work by renowned international designers, such as Tom Dixon, David Mellor, Piero Lissoni, Ole Palsby, Jasper Morrisson, Marc Newson and the late James Irvine, alongside contemporary Swedes. The Asplund store, which is now a hybrid between a gallery, a shop and a living room is considered a global design attraction. Here, the Asplund Collection is mixed with items from up-and-coming designers and esteemed brands such as B&B Italia, Cappellini, Flos, Living Divani and Artemide.
The Asplund Collection has grown substantially and is selling around the world through a network of dealers. The trend among furniture brands is to outsource production abroad, but Asplund is determined to keep most manufacturing within Sweden. Michael Asplund explains: “We produce all our furniture in Sweden, as well as a large proportion of our accessories. This way we benefit the Swedish furniture industry, while observing ethical and environmentally friendly production processes. Our rugs are made in India since 20 years back, mostly because there is no corresponding carpet production available in Sweden today.”
PRESENT
In recent years we have been focusing on new energy, influences, materials and techniques. Looking at natural elements combined with new surfaces as a key inspiration. Natural material feels vivid and changes gracefully over time. By combining contrasting natural materials like stone, metal and glass you get very different looks on the same design. Successful furniture collections like Tati and Frame were born out of this. Asplund also continuously explores cultural sources. An example of this is ”A Turkish Love Affair” featuring Kilim carpets inspired by both Turkish and Swedish traditions. By mixing old techniques with modern patterns for a fresh, contemporary style. In the last few years interior design and contract services were introduced, since clients were increasingly asking how to make homes, offices or public spaces, more homely and personal. Now included in our creative ASPLUND STUDIO where research and development, creative direction, construction, interiors and kitchens are produced. Also, ASPLUND CONTRACT has been established to meet the demands from the rising real estate and hospitality markets.
In 2014, ASPLUND launched ASPLUND KÖK with two kitchen series, Land, designed by Johannes Norlander and Plain, designed by Stina Sandwall. A kitchen for people who love to cook and also meet our own demands regarding quality, function and aesthetics. ASPLUND's kitchens are manufactured in Sweden, on demand.
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