On the southeast coast of Sweden in a former
sewing factory, Blå Station is as restless as the
Baltic Sea. The quest for designs that interpret the
present and point to the future requires an intense
combat with technology and materials, which has
been a constant battle for more than 30 years. Still
remaining a family business, the Blå Station team
love to immerse themselves in innovative technology
and sustainable development while looking for both
recognised and new design talents in Sweden and
abroad. ‘I don’t care for selling thousands of chairs
at a cheap price’, says Johan Lindau, CEO and
design manager at Blå Station. ‘Look at Lucky, our
new chair by Luka Stepan. Isn’t the shape almost as
welcoming and spot on as the Panton chair once
was?’ Blå Station is driven by a desire to produce
furniture that deserves a place in the market and
which thrills Johan and his sister Mimi Lindau.
‘I love to observe the younger generation: how they
communicate, how they conquer and use space and
objects, and how they move together and on their
own. What are their demands and desires? Here’s
the key to the future!’
The design philosophy of Blå Station is to offer an
alternative to what is already available. It’s about
researching the potential of future design here and
now. So it’s no wonder that Blå Station takes on
seemingly impossible challenges both technically
and commercially, like with the acclaimed Dent chair
where, against all odds Blå Station succeeded in
3D-forming ordinary veneer into a double-curved
seat shell. ‘We break steel and we crumple wood’,
says CMO and export manager Mimi Lindau
Rikardsson. ‘We don’t hesitate to experiment and
venture into unknown territory. Our design philosophy
is to make a difference, or as our father Börge used
to say: an idea is never better than its result.’
In the 1970s and 1980s, Börge Lindau
and Bo Lindekrantz were two of Sweden’s
most renowned designers. But Börge almost
abandoned his career and his colleague
Bo Lindekrantz. He had various ideas about
what else he could do. Why not retire?
Maybe open a restaurant? What about
calling it Herring & Design? His plans were
discarded when the design team of Lindau
& Lindekrantz won the Forsnäs Award 1984
with their Duett furniture collection. Börge
Lindau wanted to continue his work as a
designer, but now on his own and in charge
of the whole process. So in 1986 the family
business of Blå Station was launched, along
with the new Oblado furniture collection.
Since that time, the siblings Mimi and Johan
have been completely immersed in creating
and producing designs that are always
something out of the ordinary.
Börge Lindau
BLÅ STATION
Johan & Mimi
WHAT INSPIRES US?
The world is in a constant flux.
We want to change and improve.
Peace, Love & Good Design!
Text: Leo Gullbring
Photo:
Kimme Persson page 1,2,7,8,9,10
Carl Hjelte page 18
Erik Karlsson page 19,20
