The Atelier Chair, designed by TAF Studio in collaboration with Artek, was designed for Stockholm’s Nationalmuseum. Atelier was presented at Orgatec 2018 and proved to be a favourite this week at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2019.
The newly renovated Nationalmuseum. Photo by Bruno Ehrs
Nationalmuseum, Sweden’s museum for art and design was founded in 1866. The museum was closed in 2013 as extensive renovations commenced to the original building. The museum considered this an opportunity to foster contemporary design creation and invited Swedish designers to re-imagine its public areas as part of the NM& initiative, an artistic collaboration between designers and producers. Each designer teamed up with a Nordic manufacturer to explore materials and production methods, and ultimately provide visitors to the museum with insights into the design process.
Stockholm-based TAF Studio was commissioned to create the museum restaurant’s main dining hall as part of this broad collaborative project and partnered with Artek to realise the Atelier Chair, drawing on the company’s long lasting expertise with wood and its high level of craftsmanship. The design studio’s creative vision, realised to exceptional standards, results in a chair that impresses through its elegance, timelessness and versatility.
Atelier Chair, a universal wooden chair, was created for the main dining hall and was later also chosen to furnish the museum’s auditorium.
The chair derives its name from the concept of the room: the dining hall evokes an artist’s studio, the birthplace of the finalised artworks exhibited throughout the museum.
In total, 245 Atelier Chairs are in situ in the Nationalmuseum from its reopening in October 2018.
A special dark red lacquer finish was conceived for the Nationalmuseum’s new restaurant. Upon request, Atelier is available with customised lacquers or stains, starting at 20 units.
The Atelier Chair
Atelier Chair’s slender proportions and geometric lines combine with simple yet elegant details, such as the connecting bars which hug the front legs, to create an informal aesthetic. Lightweight, at only four kilos, the chair stacks very well, up to 7 chairs high. Compact and easy to move from one location to another, Atelier Chair is ideally suited to public spaces, such as the museum’s restaurant and auditorium, while equally at home at the dining table or in the office.
Comfortable and versatile, Atelier Chair references an early-20th century chair by acclaimed Swedish architect Sven Markelius. It is composed of solid wood and available in natural lacquered oak, ash and beech. It also comes in a choice of three colours: black, green and dark red. In keeping with Artek’s sustainable values, locally-sourced species of wood are used. Sturdily built to standards of precise craftsmanship, Atelier Chair will age with grace.
Atelier is available to order now through our showroom in six standard finishes.
Atelier Chairs in use in the restaurant of the Nationalmuseum (105 Chairs)
About TAF Studio
TAF Studio is a Stockholm-based design and architecture practice founded by Gabriella Gustafson and Mattias Ståhlbom. The studio strives to create designs that are quotidian and essential, whilst taking into consideration both context and origin. Via a process that involves a careful investigation of materials and construction techniques, TAF Studio plunders the landscape of mass produced consumables to create innovative work that is often both humorous and thought provoking. Since TAF Studio’s foundation in 2002, the team has achieved international acclaim. Their designs have been exhibited at MoMA, and are now part of the permanent collections of Nationalmuseumin Stockholm and the Danish Design Museum in Copenhagen.
