10 Questions With... Åke Axelsson May 4, 2021 Designer and craftsman, Åke Axelsson. Photography by Bastian Birk Thuesen. Åke Axelsson is one of Sweden's most respected designers and interior architects. During his career he has designed more than 200 chairs, earning him the moniker "the king of chairs." Raised on a small farm in southern Sweden in the 1930s and 40s he learned traditional handicrafts at an early age before leaving home to train as a cabinetmaker. By the 60s, he had branched out into interior architecture, specializing in large-scale interior commissions and began designing chairs specifically for his projects. In 2003, together with his daughter and son-in-law, Axelsson purchased Gärsnäs, a then struggling furniture factory that is now one of Sweden's most successful furniture manufacturers.