Collecting Timeless Design

Fashion journalist Daniel Lindström thinks furniture – like fashion – should be designed to last. Images by Felix Odell

“Poul Kjærholm’s work is the perfect example of timeless design.”

Stockholm-based Daniel Lindström is the Fashion Director of King and Café magazines, a role he has held (with Café) for more than 20 years. Perhaps not surprisingly, Daniel has an aesthetic well- honed to beauty and quality, and not just for clothes. His home, a row house on top of an apartment building (yes, really) on the outskirts of Stockholm was once an office, but it has been the family home for him and his three children for the last 11 years. While compact, the house is exactly what the family needs, with four bedrooms upstairs and an open living area downstairs. In the hallway, built-in shelves and desk house his many books and a workstation. And it is there that one first sees Fritz Hansen in his home, an Arne Jacobsen 7-Series chair with wheels and leather upholstery. “It looks good, it’s comfortable, what more could I want?” Lindström laughs. But it’s more than comfort that interests him. “Ultimately, it’s about timeless design, for me,” he explains. “I don’t have items in my home that look dated, or ever will. They last because of quality, and because of the look.”

He first became interested in Danish design when he visited Copenhagen with his boss back in the 90s. “We spent two nights at the SAS Royal Hotel. At the time, you could still make a reservation for the famous room 606, which has all the original Arne Jacobsen pieces. Once I had seen that, I really started to look into these designs,” says Daniel. The first Fritz Hansen piece Lindström purchased was the PK61 coffee table, a clean, structured piece with brushed stainless-steel legs and a clear glass top. “I love this table,” he says, “but for years we had to have little covers on the sides to protect our kids from the glass. Now that my kids are older, I get to let the table shine on its own.” Though Lindström has a number of Fritz Hansen pieces, including two very early Ant Chairs editions by Arne Jacobsen, it is Poul Kjærholm’s pieces that have really captured his heart. “Poul Kjærholm’s work is the perfect example of timeless design,” he says. “The mix of materials, the lines; I love it. That’s why I have so many of his designs in my home. But I also love having contrasts, which is why I like Arne Jacobsen pieces. Kjærholm’s work is often sleek and minimalist, while Jacobsen’s is a lot more organic and soft. Having both of those looks gives a sense of balance.”

“When you have timeless design, you don’t need to keep adding. Instead, you work with what you have, and it becomes part of the story of your life.”

If he had the chance, he would add the PK24 chaise to his home: “It’s a work of art.” Lindström sees his furniture collection working the same way as a wardrobe: now that he’s built it up over the years, he can switch in small things such as ceramics and art to change the space, but the foundation remains the same. “When you have timeless design, you don’t need to keep adding,” he says. “Instead, you work with what you have, and it becomes part of the story of your life.”