Furniture Profile of the Year 2012 – Lars Bülow

Furniture Profile of the Year 2012 – Lars Bülow, CEO of Lammhults Möbler

Swedish Furniture Industry Honors Excellence at Annual Möbelriksdagen

At the annual Möbelriksdagen (Furniture Parliament Day) held in Lammhult on Thursday, Lars Bülow, CEO of Lammhults Möbler, was named Furniture Profile of the Year 2012. The prestigious award recognizes Bülow’s exceptional leadership and contribution to Swedish furniture design and manufacturing.

About Möbelriksdagen

Möbelriksdagen is Sweden’s premier gathering for the furniture industry, organized annually by Interior Cluster Sweden since 2007. The event serves as a creative meeting place for stakeholders throughout the furniture sector, bringing together manufacturers, designers, suppliers, educators, and decision-makers to exchange experiences, forge new connections, and explore the future of Scandinavian furniture design.

Lars Bülow – A Design Industry Pioneer

Lars Bülow, born in 1952, is a distinguished Swedish architect, furniture designer, and design entrepreneur with a career spanning over four decades. His appointment as CEO of Lammhults Möbler in 2012 marked a significant milestone in his illustrious career.

Professional Highlights:

  • 1978: Co-founded design studio Sandin & Bülow with architect Kersti Sandin
  • 1992: Founded Materia AB in Tranås, a furniture company specializing in public space furniture
  • 2012-2015: Served as CEO of Lammhults Möbler and concurrently as head of brand and design for Lammhults Design Group
  • 2017: Co-founded Möbeldesignmuseum (The Museum of Furniture Studies)

Bülow’s design work has earned numerous international and Swedish design awards, with products represented in permanent collections at prestigious institutions including Nationalmuseum, Röhsska Museum, and Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Cologne.

About Lammhults Möbler

Founded in 1945 in the small town of Lammhult in southern Sweden’s Småland region, Lammhults has remained true to the principles of the Modern Movement instilled by founder Edvin Ståhl. The company is renowned for its commitment to timeless design, quality craftsmanship, and sustainable production methods, with all furniture handcrafted in their 10,000 square meter facility in Lammhult.

2012 Award Winners

Design Company of the Year: Swedese

Swedese, founded in 1945 by brothers Yngve and Jerker Ekström along with Bertil Sjöqvist, epitomizes classic Swedish furniture design. Based in Vaggeryd, Småland, the company has built its reputation on the iconic Lamino armchair designed by Yngve Ekström in 1956—a piece voted “Swedish Furniture of the Century” by readers of interior design magazine Sköna Hem in 1999.

The company maintains its founding principles: creating beautiful, contemporary furniture for the future while prolonging and renewing Scandinavian design traditions. Remarkably, of the 16 furniture companies that existed in Vaggeryd in the 1950s, only Swedese remains today, testament to the enduring quality and vision of its designs.

Design Strategist of the Year: Byarums Bruk

Founded in 1947 in Byarum, Småland, Byarums Bruk distinguished itself through innovative strategic thinking. When most foundries worked exclusively with iron, the Bokinge brothers chose to cast aluminum instead—a forward-thinking decision that revolutionized outdoor furniture production.

Today, Byarums Bruk creates park and garden furniture, planters, and urban space products using traditional sand-molding techniques with 100% recycled aluminum. The company exemplifies circular production and long-term thinking, manufacturing products designed to withstand Nordic climates for generations before being melted down and reborn in new forms.

Newcomer of the Year: Sara Larsson, Designer

The award recognized emerging talent in Swedish furniture design, celebrating innovation and fresh perspectives in the industry.

Design School of the Year: Carl Malmsten Furniture Studies

This prestigious program continues the legacy of master furniture designer Carl Malmsten (1888-1972), training new generations of craftspeople and designers in the Swedish furniture tradition. The school emphasizes hands-on craftsmanship combined with contemporary design thinking.

Honorary Award: Ola Söderpalm

The honorary award recognized Söderpalm’s significant long-term contributions to the Swedish furniture industry and design community.

The Significance of These Awards

The 2012 Möbelriksdagen awards highlighted the Swedish furniture industry’s unique balance of tradition and innovation. From Lammhults’ and Swedese’s decades of design excellence to Byarums Bruk’s sustainable manufacturing practices and emerging design talent, the awards celebrated an industry deeply rooted in craftsmanship while actively shaping the future of Scandinavian design.

For more information:
Visit www.mobelriksdagen.se

Article published for scandinaviandesign.com – Your source for Nordic design news since 1996