Åke Axelsson was one of Sweden's most respected furniture designers over the past half century. He was known for his chair designs for the Swedish School of Economics, the Riksdag Library and the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, among others. The iconic S217 chair was created in 1963 and has since been manufactured by the furniture company Gärsnäs.
Åke Axelsson grew up in Skillingsmåla in southern Småland. He worked as a cabinetmaker and later trained as an interior designer at Konstfack University College.
