David doesn’t go for simple slogans like “less is more”; instead he claims design has to be obvious. That might imply a certain love for an Italian master like Enzo Mari, but also for bespoke furniture from all around the world.

Since graduating from the prestigious Carl Malmsten Furniture School almost 10 years ago, David has produced quite a roster of designs, many of them aspiring or already fully acclaimed furniture classics.

“Wood is my favourite material, not only because I hail from the forests of Småland in southern Sweden, but because it could be used a lot more – particularly pine, which has had a bad reputation since the terrible 80s yellowish hard-lacquered polyurethane versions.”
As for creating a little punk of a chair, David explains that he enjoyed working in a record shop in Värnamo when he was younger. “You get hooked. First it was the Clash and all the others in the punk craze, then it was vegan punk or whatever.”
Extending his education by studying aesthetics and philosophy in Umeå has enabled him to contribute to a more humanistic design approach as a teacher at the Carl Malmsten Furniture School. “You have to let the design process run its course. Look at Pinzo. The chair might look simple, but the fastening of the back and the precise inclination requires quite an advanced solution.”

How have your studies in philosophy influenced your work?
I want objects to have meaning. You should understand why my things look and work in a certain way. As a designer you’re part of something bigger. It’s not just a product, it’s about contributing to the fabric of society.

What are you reading right now?
An old book by the Swedish artist Torsten Renqvist describing the people who influenced and shaped his life. You really learn to understand him through these portraits.

What are your music preferences, apart from punk?
Right now I’m a lot into Felix Kubin. I appreciate electronic music; it really makes me happy!