Axel Chair by Helle Nielsen is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award in Furniture Design Competition Category.
IronFurniture· 2021
Axel Chair
A' Design Award Winner in Furniture Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #113268The Design
About Axel Chair
Axel is an outdoor chair produced in Indonesia from sustainable materials. The design blends Indonesian craftsmanship with classic Scandinavian lines. The shape is inspired by Scandinavian furniture of the 1960s, and in particular by an old heirloom piece. The renewed interest in retro style guided the development of Axel. The use of sustainable materials supports responsible production. The chair is intended to suit any modern home, and Axel offers a simple form for contemporary outdoor settings.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award
Axel Chair is an Iron A' Design Award winner, a prestigious recognition granted to good designs that meet the professional and industrial requirements expected from well-designed creations. Iron winners demonstrate great skill, high specialization, expert understanding, and creative capacity of their creators. Axel Chair is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished creation that is practical and innovative. This Iron A' Design Award-winning design integrates industry best practices and has competent technical characteristics linked with know-how and talent. Axel Chair is respected for its thoroughness and is designed to provide quality of life improvements that help make the world a better place.
Interviews
Grand Interview
Your innovative fusion of Indonesian craftsmanship with Scandinavian design principles in the Axel Chair has created a unique aesthetic bridge between cultures - could you elaborate on how this cross-cultural collaboration influenced your creative process?
Indonesia is a country rich in tradition, where craftsmanship is often a skill passed down through generations. This heritage brings an exceptional level of skill and artistry to our work. For the Axel Chair, we wanted to honor this legacy by collaborating with local artisans to hand-weave the backrest and incorporate beautifully crafted teakwood armrests. At the same time, we drew on Scandinavian design principles—simplicity, functionality, and a modern aesthetic. This fusion allowed us to create a chair that feels fresh and timeless, seamlessly blending cultural influences while showcasing the remarkable skills of Indonesian weavers
The sustainable materials chosen for the Axel Chair, particularly the combination of powder-coated aluminum frame, quick-dry foam, and teak wood armrests, reflect thoughtful environmental consideration - what guided your material selection process and how do these choices enhance both sustainability and functionality?
Our material selection for the Axel Chair centers on both sustainability and durability. We source all raw materials locally in Indonesia to support the community and reduce our environmental footprint. Through our partnership with Trees4Trees, we ensure that every cubic meter of teakwood we use contributes to reforestation efforts. Using a powder-coated aluminum frame and quick-dry foam also enhances the chair’s resilience in various climates, aligning with our commitment to creating furniture that’s functional, long-lasting, and responsibly crafted.
Drawing inspiration from 1960s Scandinavian furniture and a family heirloom for the Axel Chair represents an intriguing blend of personal heritage and design history - could you share the story behind this connection and how it shaped the final design?
Looking back to the timeless designs of 1960s Denmark, we wanted to bring the character of that era outdoors. Scandinavian furniture from that period is known for its simplicity, comfort, and craftsmanship, so we aimed to capture those elements in a way that would suit open-air settings. This meant reimagining classic forms with durable materials, such as weather-resistant fabrics and a robust aluminum frame, to ensure the Axel Chair could embody both the elegance of Scandinavian heritage and the functionality required for outdoor living
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The chair is produced in Indonesia from sustainable materials, blending Indonesian craftsmanship with classic Scandinavian lines and design, and creating an outdoor chair to suit any modern home.
- Inspiration
- The trend of relaunching retro style made me come up with this design. The chair is inspired by the 1960s scandinavian furniture style, from an old heirloom .
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