THE CHAIR IS often the holy grail for furniture designers out to unseat the competition. Which is why Peter Andersson created an instant buzz at last month's Stockholm Furniture Fair, when his Tilt chair was voted Piece of Furniture of the Year. Simple and humorous, the rockable chair prompted Wallpaper magazine to comment on how this young Swedish designer had won the hearts of connoisseurs with his understated, clever concept encouraging disobedience.
'I question rules,' says Andersson, 26, who also designs for Japanese home-furnishings company Franc Franc. 'Why aren't you supposed to tilt the chair, when everyone's doing it?'
Another home-grown designer unbalancing Sweden's straight-laced image is Anna Kraitz. Her Rapunzel-style Girl floor lamp has a hair-like plait to turn it on.
'When I was a child I always wanted a thick, long braid,' says Kraitz. 'This is a result of that dream.'
Despite the new blood, it may take a while before consumers stop thinking of Swedish interiors in terms of Ikea, blond wood, minimalist lines, functionality and pragmatic ideals - all of which is probably linked to the concept of lagom. The Swedish word, meaning 'just right', translates in everyday life as nothing done to extremes, so it's no surprise that designers have been accused of producing worthy, if stuffy, work.
But it could be that Swedish designers are accelerating in the opposite direction in a country famed for its safety-first Saabs and nerdy Volvos. Andersson and Kraitz are among many demonstrating how Swedish design can no longer be easily described in overarching terms, so deviations can be taken for granted.