Viken

Maybe it’s true; imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In that case, it’s unlikely that any chair has been flattered 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 es diseñadora de interiores y de muebles. Quizá por eso sus muebles desprenden una capacidad natural de mimetizarse con su entorno. Viken es su diseño más conocido y un excelente ejemplo de cómo trabaja. Simple, hay que reconocerlo. Pero con un carácter propio. Y el tipo de simplicidad desconcertante que exige una artesanía meticulosa para lograrlo.