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Friday Five With Petrus Palmer of Hem

Petrus Palmer is the Founder and CEO of Hem, a company that both conceives of and manufactures high quality designs, thereby cutting out the middleman. With an eye always towards sparking innovation, Palmer founded three other companies after university and before Hem – Form Us With Love, TID, and BAUX – and to the day, he remains involved with the last two. Hem, Swedish for ‘home,’ is a Stockholm-based design brand that has aimed to create fresh furniture, accessories, and lighting since 2014. Between talented designers and quality European producers, the company has created a portfolio of over 300 products available in 34 nations. No small feat. Aside from Hem, Palmer is also chairman of the board of Design Sweden, an organization with the purpose of supporting, nurturing, and enabling Swedish designers across the globe. Today Petrus has stopped by to share five of his favorite things in Friday Five.

Photo by Magis Design

1. Sam Son by Konstantin Grcic for Magis
What’s so genius to me about Konstantin Grcic’s Sam Son chair is that the same horseshoe-shaped, tube-like design element that makes it almost cartoonish is also what makes it uniquely functional – and from what I hear – very comfortable. I think that sweet spot between exaggerated design and functionality make it an instant classic.

Photo by Bertjan Pot

2. Rope Masks by Bertjan Pot
These are so bizarre and stunning to me. I love that they are a happy accident that started as Bertjan’s attempt to create a flat rug out of brightly colored rope, and inadvertently turned into these masks. Each is one of a kind and totally exceptional.

Photo via Alessi

3. Jasper Morrison’s Glasses for Alessi
Understated elegance is the best way to describe the Jasper Morrison glasses for Alessi. The weighted crystalline glass base gets progressively thinner towards the opening, making it great for everyday use. This one is particularly special to me, as it gets to the heart of what Hem stands for in our work with leading designers to create objects that are both universally accessible and functional.

Photo by Richard Sapper

4. Sapper Chair for Knoll
Richard Sapper was a jack of all trades – he took his training in anatomy, business, technology, and engineering, then applied it all to his product design. This chair is a stellar example of his ability to synergize his knack for design with his understanding of how companies work to create a thoughtful, good-looking solution to an office chair.

Photo by Arflex

5. Marenco Sofa by Mario Marenco for Arflex
The modular Marenco Sofa is another personal favorite. The revolutionary assembly system which makes it seamless to attach the seat and armrest cushions to the base is iconic and something we’ve nodded to with the design of Hem’s Kumo Sofa.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she's likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.