Congo Chair by Alf Svensson

Swedish furniture designer Alf Svensson (1929-1992) was particularly active in the 1950s through the ‘70s, designing , storage , tables , and seating  for a variety of influential manufacturers. Not a wealth of information is available on Svensson, and even though it is evident that his work spans various fields of furniture design, it is his seating designs that are best represented on the vintage market.

During the 1950s, like many of his Swedish and Scandinavian contemporaries, Svensson utilized traditional materials such as richly grained teak and rosewood, and leather to create pieces that were typically designed in the Scandinavian modern style. Examples include the Contour Lounge Chair (1950s) and the Te-Ve Chair (1953) for Ljungs Industrier; the Congo Easy Chair (1954) for Haga Fors; the sectional Domus 1 Chair (1955) for Dux, which was originally designed for the H55 exhibition in Helsinborg, Sweden; and a high back reclining lounge chair (1957) for Fritz Hansen. Svensson also designed tables for Tingströms, lighting for Bergboms, and storage solutions for Bjästa.

Svensson’s designs for the Swedish furniture maker Dux are arguably his most well-known. In particular, his collection of easy chairs and lounge chairs - known as the Form Series - which was designed in the 1960s and ‘70s. Other designs include, the Galaxy Chair (1968 with Yngve Sandström), which has a molded plastic shell that rests on a white lacquered aluminum swivel-base; and the swiveling Contourette Roto Chair (1960s).