S217

1963

S217 is Åke Axelsson’s first chair to be serially manufactured. It is a clever little personality, designed for a competition aimed at preserving the European beech trees of southern Sweden that were threatened by cultivated conifers. With Michael Thonet as inspiration, as well a a smidgeon of Alvar Aalto in the facticity, S217 has a definite feel of Åke Axelsson himself in the design of the back and is more comfortable than Aalto’s chairs. A tall person may wonder whether there is room for him but, in fact, the chair suits everyone. S217 has been produced in many variants and has been used for decades in all sorts of public buildings: Swedish embassies, parliament, banks, cafés, libraries and restaurants. 2’500 chairs were made for the Australian parliament in Canberra. It was not until 2018 that S217 was deleted from the catalogue, becoming instead a “project item” that can be made to order. In 2019 the S217 with a green seat and a slightly taller back, was made for Melander’s restaurant in the new NK market. Gärsnäs can also refurbish existing S217 chairs used in public spaces.