Viken

Maybe it’s true; imitation is the sincerest form of fl attery. In that case, it’s unlikely that any chair has been fl attered as much as Viken. When Gunilla Norin designed it in 1983, she wanted a practical and comfortable chair for her balcony. So she made one. Viken is the very essence of an idea that in hindsight is so obvious that it seems so simple: overlap the slats, so the seat can be folded. But the structure is unusual, because it is made entirely from wood. There are no screws, frame or metal rods. What you see is what you get. And what you see is teak. For the past thirty years, the imitations, the copies and the mimics have come thick and fast. Some believe that it’s the most copied of all chairs. And that could well be the case. When you buy Viken, you’re buying the original. And it’s an extremely comfortable original in which to sit. Just as well Gunilla didn’t just buy a chair that fateful day.
A dining series in teak. The chair is made entirely from teak, as is the table – apart from a couple of screws to secure the table top to the legs.

Gunilla Norin

Gunilla Norin is both an interior designer and a furniture designer. Perhaps that’s why her furniture exudes a natural capacity to blend in with its surroundings. Viken is her best-known design and an excellent example of how she works. Simple, admittedly. But with a character all of its own. And the sort of baffling simplicity that demands meticulous craftsmanship to achieve.