Lisa Hilland is one of Sweden’s most acclaimed and awarded contemporary designers, known for furniture and interior objects with a poetic twist, where modern high-tech production meets artisan quality craftsmanship. After graduating from Central St Martin’s College of Art, she spent ten years working as a designer in London before founding her own studio in Sweden in 2005.
Since then, Hilland has built a body of work with some of Sweden’s best-known brands. For Gemla — Sweden’s oldest furniture factory, in production since 1861 — she designed the Bow Chair and the later BOW Sofa 17, both rooted in the craft tradition of steam-bent wood. For Design House Stockholm she designed the Torso Chair, born out of her dual interest in furniture design and fashion. She also created My Granddaughter’s Cabinet for Gärsnäs — a cabinet conceived as an heirloom, a tribute to design meant to be passed down through generations.
Her client list also includes Svenskt Tenn, Orrefors, Stackelbergs and IKEA. In 2018, she founded her own design label, MYLHTA, in collaboration with NK Inredning at the Stockholm department store Nordiska Kompaniet — an initiative that produced, among other pieces, the Lumi Pouf, shaped by ice and snow formations.
Natural materials run through Hilland’s work — birch, oak, cherry, pear-stained wood — paired with traditional Scandinavian craft techniques and modern production methods. Her design language has been described as emotional rather than purely functional:
“As a designer, I am constantly exploring materials and how they influence our perception of an object. Natural materials are close to my heart, using them in a careful, sustainable way to create long-lasting designs. […] Excellent design triggers our emotions and materials play a great part while designing — or as I call it — giving an object a soul that can be loved.”
Her pieces are regularly sold through auction houses, a sign that her philosophy of durable, generation-spanning design has taken hold well beyond the showroom floor.
https://www.lisahilland.com
Design Lisa Hilland
Together & Kasthall @ NK Inredning
Together & Kasthall NK Interior’s design initiative and scholarship “Together” highlights the strength of Swedish …
Lumi Pouf by Lisa Hilland and the initiative Together
During Stockholm Design Week 2022, Grand Relations and NK Inredning hosted an preview presenting the …
BOW Sofa 17 design Lisa Hilland for Gemla
BOW SOFA 17 is a playful sofa where the art of bending wood is challenged …
Torso chair design by Lisa Hilland – DHS
Designer Lisa Hilland dreamt of creating furniture that combined both of her interests – fashion …
Editors’ Choice – New Award at Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair
For this year’s Fair, of Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair introduced a new award – …
Swedish Design Goes Milano
A collaboration between Business Sweden, Visit Sweden & Svensk Form @ La Posteria, Via Sacchi …
Vinnarna av Residence formpris 2013
Residence Stora formpris är en hyllning till årets främsta kreatörer, de som fått oss att …
Bow chair design by Lisa Hilland – Gemla
Bow Chair is designed for Gemla, the renowned Swedish bentwood factory from the late 1800s, …
My granddaughter´s cabinet by Lisa Hilland – Gärsnäs
My Granddaughter’s Cabinet is a tribute to the longevity of design and the emotional bonds …