How Lammhults built sustainability into its design DNA

Lammhults’ Copenhagen showroom by Note Design Studio. Photography: Erik Lefvander.

Lammhults, the 79-year-old Swedish furniture powerhouse, has been quietly shaping how Europe works and lives. This is definitely not another Scandi brand jumping on the minimalist bandwagon—this is the real deal.

When Erna Walsh from Melbourne and Sydney’s K5 Furniture first encountered Lammhults, she knew she’d found something special. Here was a brand that delivered on sustainability, creating furniture built to outlast trends, economic cycles, and office relocations.

“Lammhults represents modern Sweden with a distinctly continental sensibility,” Erna explains. “There’s elegance and cosmopolitan flair, yet the commitment to sustainability, function, and integrity remains unmistakably present.” When values align this perfectly, partnerships feel inevitable.

K5 has spent over 20 years curating serious European design for Australia—not just importing, but serving as cultural translators who help local designers understand why European furniture works the way it does. They’ve been bringing Lammhults to Australian projects for several years, now doubling down on what’s already proving successful.

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Lammhults’ extensive seating collection.

Taburett seating collection.

S70-12 coat hanger.

Corso chair.

Sunny easy chair in blue.

Sunny easy chairs.

X75-2 Armchairs and Funk Table.

The Swedish Story: From Workshop to Worldwide

Back in 1945, in the forests of Småland province (also known as IKEA’s birthplace), Edvin Ståhl opened a mechanical workshop supplying parts to local furniture makers. What started as component manufacturing evolved into something a lot more significant.

The transformation really began in 1955 when Ståhl designed Lammhults’ first piece of furniture: a simple stool called 282, followed by the Pyramid chair. But the game-changer came in the 1960s when the company invited design legends Börge Lindau and Bo Lindekrantz to collaborate. This partnership produced the iconic X75-2 folding chair in 1972, a piece so perfectly conceived it’s still in production 50 years later.

The Lammhults difference is about creating furniture that doesn’t just survive, but thrives across decades. Their refreshingly simple philosophy—space matters—isn’t a marketing slogan, but a design principle that influences every material choice, every manufacturing decision, every collaboration.

Circular Design Before It Was Cool

While most companies were still figuring out recycling, Lammhults was reimagining the entire furniture lifecycle. They design for disassembly, create components that can be separated and reused, and build pieces that can be repaired rather than replaced.

Take Anya Sebton’s A22 stool series. It’s made from entirely steel construction without screws or bolts, meaning every component can be recovered and recycled. Or the Atlas Air office chair by Johannes Foersom and Peter Hiort-Lorenzen, with no composite materials, so everything is separable and completely repairable.

Bau modular sofa.

Bau modular sofa offers infinite configuration possibilities.

A22 stools.

Geofanti modular sofa.

The Designer Network: Relationships That Last

This sustainable approach extends to how Lammhults works with designers—decades-long partnerships rather than seasonal celebrity collaborations.

Stockholm’s Anya Sebton is the perfect example. After 20 years with Lammhults, she’s created the Geofanti modular sofa—a piece that literally feels like it’s hugging you. “Problems inspire me,” Sebton explains. “I’m extremely solution-oriented.” That’s design thinking focused on real human needs, not abstract concepts.

Note Design Studio brings younger energy with their award-winning Bau modular seating system, while Danish duo Johannes Foersom and Peter Hiort-Lorenzen recently updated the Campus chair for its 30th anniversary. These relationships allow design evolution rather than constant reinvention.

2025 has reinforced this momentum, with standout presentations from Stockholm Design Week (featuring Geofanti’s new corner unit) to Milan’s Salone del Mobile and Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design, where they showcased everything from the anniversary Cinema Easy Chair to recycled-aluminium Archal tables.

From Distribution to Cultural Translation

For K5, their Lammhults partnership goes much deeper than traditional importing. Walsh’s commitment solidified after witnessing Lammhults’ collaboration with Hope fashion label for the Campus chair’s 25th anniversary.

Walsh identifies specific Lammhults favourites that showcase the brand’s range: the Campus chair for enduring versatility, the Tension trolley inspired by skate culture, the award-winning Bau modular system, and the X75-2 folding chair with its timeless steel-and-canvas construction. Each piece represents clever design meeting practical functionality.

“What impresses me about Lammhults is their thoughtful approach to heritage and innovation,” Walsh notes. “They revisit existing designs, adapting classic pieces for contemporary needs rather than starting from scratch.”

Campus Air chair is an in-stock option at K5.

“What excites me most about introducing Lammhults is its distinct character. It’s not typical Scandinavian, but carries a refined continental aesthetic that will resonate with those seeking something considered.” — Erna Walsh

Campus Air chairs and Taburett stool with Quickly table.

Grade chair options are stocked by K5.

Tension trolley (top) and S70-3 stools (above) are stocked by K5.

Perfect Timing for Australia

The deeper Lammhults integration into Australia comes at the right moment. Post-pandemic commercial, education and public spaces continue evolving, with renewed focus on environments supporting both productivity and wellbeing. Lammhults’ expertise in modular, adaptable solutions directly addresses these needs.

“What distinguishes Lammhults is the vibrant energy their pieces bring to environments,” Walsh explains. “Like what we saw in Helsinki’s new library, where their furniture was beautifully integrated into communal and playful areas, as well as quieter reflection spaces.”

For Australian design professionals seeking alternatives to mass-market solutions, this partnership offers furniture that works hard while maintaining sophisticated aesthetics. These pieces excel in demanding environments—offices, universities, public spaces—where functionality and durability are non-negotiable, but aesthetic excellence remains essential.

“What excites me most about introducing Lammhults to Australian architects and designers is precisely its distinct character,” Walsh observes. “It’s not typical Scandinavian, but carries a refined continental aesthetic that will resonate with those seeking something truly considered.”

For Walsh and K5, this represents more than business expansion—it’s about elevating conversations around what commercial furniture should achieve.

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