Ingmar Relling & His Siesta Chair 

Are you better off being known for a few things or well known for one thing?

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 In the case of Norwegian architect and furniture designer Ingmar Relling, he probably didn't give it any thought but his legacy lives on today with the iconic Siesta chair, designed in 1965. At Southside Danish the IR Siesta chair remains one of our most popular lines.

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 Ingmar Relling is regarded as a Norwegian Designer Royalty alongside other brilliant furniture designers such as Fredrik Kayser and Torbjørn Afdal.

 

Relling's life began in a tiny town called Sykkylven, Norway. Today its population is just 7000.

 

After graduating from the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry in Oslo he would return and make this town his home for much of his life.

 

Like Sweden and Denmark, Norway embraced the modernist movement that became popular in Europe after the First World War. It was the time when the "rationalization of space" was recognized, which lead to a furniture industry that focussed on creating simpler and more efficient household items including furniture.

 

 In 1954, Relling designed the Nordic Chair. The chair was made up of two sections (a seat and a back). What differentiated this piece was that it could be folded and stored whilst not in use, thus solving a problem for homeowners dealing with smaller living spaces.

 

 It was in 1965 that Relling in collaboration with his son designed the Siesta Chair.

 

It gained some attention and even won first prize at a competition organized by the Industry Council for Furniture.

 

 Ingmar Relling's ecofriendly design ethos is as relevant today as it was when first produced in 1965. The frame for example was typically constructed of bent and laminated beech harvested from sustainable forests.

  

The Siesta Chair showcased Relling's minimalist design aesthetic that was uncompromising on quality. It was a huge commercial success for both Relling and Westnova who manufactured the siesta chair. Today, the siesta chair is produced by the Norwegian furniture manufacturer L.K. Hjelle.

  

JF Kennedy may have purchased a pair of Wegner's "The Chair", but it was Jimmy Carter who took it a step further and purchased sixteen Siesta Chairs to furnish the White House during his term.

 

In 1992, the Siesta was awarded the Classic Award for Design Excellence by the Norwegian Design Council.

 

Relling continued to design throughout the 1970s, though he never realized another success quite like the Siesta Chair.