Design House Stockholm

Design House Stockholm: A Publishing House for Scandinavian Design

Design House Stockholm is a Swedish design brand founded in 1992 with a distinctive approach to creating contemporary Scandinavian furniture, lighting and home accessories. Rather than operating like a conventional manufacturer with predetermined product briefs, the company describes itself as a publishing house for design, working with independent designers to discover strong ideas and develop them into lasting products.

This approach has allowed Design House Stockholm to build an unusually varied collection while maintaining a clear Scandinavian identity. Furniture, lighting and decorative objects are selected for the strength of the original idea behind them, combining function, simplicity and character rather than following short-lived interior trends.

Design House Stockholm collaborates with more than 60 independent designers from Sweden and around the world. Established names sit alongside emerging designers, helping the collection continually evolve while retaining a focus on objects intended to improve everyday life and bring something distinctive to their category.

Design House Stockholm Lighting

Lighting has played an important role in establishing Design House Stockholm internationally. The collection includes table lamps, pendant lights and decorative lighting that demonstrate the brand's ability to turn relatively simple ideas into memorable design objects.

Perhaps the best-known example is the Design House Stockholm Block Lamp by Finnish designer Harri Koskinen. The design places a light bulb between two pieces of cast glass, creating the appearance of a bulb frozen within a block of ice. Launched in 1997, the Block Lamp became an internationally recognised example of contemporary Scandinavian lighting and entered the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2000.

At RB12, the lighting collection also includes the Luna Pendant and Fireplace Table Lamp. These designs demonstrate different interpretations of decorative lighting while maintaining the simplicity and visual clarity associated with Design House Stockholm.

Design House Stockholm Tables and Desks

Design House Stockholm furniture combines practical everyday use with distinctive ideas and carefully considered construction. The table collection ranges from compact occasional tables to desks and larger pieces designed for dining and living spaces.

The Arco Desk, designed by Chuck Mack, is one of the most recognisable workspaces in the collection. Its trestle-style solid oak structure supports a tempered glass worktop, allowing the contents of the drawer beneath to remain visible. The result combines the familiar construction of a traditional workbench with a lighter, more contemporary appearance.

RB12 also offers pieces such as the Aria Table, Cinderella Table, Flip Table and Pedestal Table. Their varied proportions make the collection suitable for home offices, living rooms, dining spaces and smaller areas where versatile Scandinavian furniture is required.

Design House Stockholm Chairs and Seating

Seating within the Design House Stockholm collection ranges from understated wooden chairs to more playful upholstered pieces. Different designers bring their own approach to comfort, construction and material while working within the wider Scandinavian emphasis on functionality and longevity.

The Olivia Chair, designed by Tatu Laakso, uses moulded plywood to create a chair that appears slender while retaining strength and comfort. Its restrained silhouette makes it suitable around a contemporary dining table as well as within cafés, workspaces and informal seating areas.

RB12 also offers the Wick Chair alongside the distinctive Knot Pouf. Designed by Ragnheiður Ösp Sigurðardóttir, Knot is formed from a long knitted tube tied into a sculptural shape, creating a piece that sits somewhere between functional seating and a decorative object.

Design House Stockholm Sideboards and Storage

Storage furniture from Design House Stockholm demonstrates how practical cabinetry can be given a lighter and more architectural character. Sideboards, consoles and smaller storage pieces combine natural materials with restrained Scandinavian forms, allowing them to work within both living and dining spaces.

The Air Sideboard, designed by Mathieu Gustafsson, is a particularly distinctive example. The collection combines oak with woven natural rattan, creating semi-transparent doors that provide glimpses of the objects stored inside. The use of cane reduces the visual weight normally associated with larger storage furniture while introducing additional texture and warmth.

RB12 also offers the Layer Sideboard, Arco Console and Exit Trolley, providing options ranging from substantial storage to smaller occasional furniture for hallways, dining rooms and living spaces.

Design House Stockholm Rugs and Textiles

Design House Stockholm also creates rugs and textile products that bring pattern, texture and softer materials into contemporary Scandinavian interiors. These pieces are designed to work alongside the brand's furniture while also functioning independently within schemes combining products from different designers and manufacturers.

At RB12, the rug collection includes the Level Rug and Basket Rug, while the sculptural Knot family introduces a softer and more playful element through cushions and poufs.

The simplicity of the wider collection means these products can be used to add texture and character without overwhelming the furniture and architecture surrounding them.

Design House Stockholm Home Accessories and Design Objects

Smaller design objects are an important part of the Design House Stockholm philosophy. The brand's publishing-house approach allows useful, decorative and sometimes unconventional ideas to sit alongside larger pieces of furniture and lighting.

RB12's collection includes pieces such as the Nordic Light Candle Holder, Birds 1967, Mellow Clock, Yoga Figurines and the Step Stepladder. Each takes a familiar object and gives it a more considered visual or functional identity.

The Greenhouse similarly brings design into indoor planting, providing a compact architectural home for plants within contemporary interiors. Together, these smaller objects demonstrate how Design House Stockholm applies the same level of attention to everyday accessories as it does to furniture and lighting.

Scandinavian Design by Independent Designers

One of the defining characteristics of Design House Stockholm is that the collection does not represent the work of a single in-house design team. Instead, independent designers contribute individual ideas that are selected and developed by the brand, creating a catalogue shaped by many different creative perspectives.

Designers represented across the wider collection include Harri Koskinen, Alexander Lervik, Chuck Mack, Mathieu Gustafsson, Tatu Laakso and Ragnheiður Ösp Sigurðardóttir. Although their work can differ significantly in appearance, the products are united by strong ideas, functionality and a desire to create objects with lasting relevance.

This publishing-house model has helped Design House Stockholm broaden the definition of Scandinavian design beyond a single aesthetic, allowing playful, experimental and sculptural products to sit alongside more restrained Nordic furniture.

Shop Design House Stockholm in the UK at RB12

RB12 offers a curated selection of Design House Stockholm products in the UK, including Scandinavian furniture, lighting, chairs, desks, tables, sideboards, rugs and home accessories. The collection includes recognised designs such as the Block Lamp, Arco Desk, Air Sideboard, Knot Pouf and Nordic Light Candle Holder.

Whether you are looking for contemporary Swedish furniture, an iconic Scandinavian lamp or a smaller design object for your home, explore Design House Stockholm online at RB12 and discover a collection built around original ideas, independent designers and enduring Scandinavian design.