5 Minutes With… Jonas Ihreborn

Jonas Ihreborn is more than a renowned Swedish design company; it’s also the name of its colourful and brilliant founder. Born into the design business Jonas is the third generation in a legendary Swedish upholstery family. Channelling one of the most extensive sustainability approaches in design into a modern model is no easy task though, and since founding the contemporary brand in 1991, Jonas has worked tirelessly to maintain design excellence and sustainability.

Following the launch of a partnership between Jonas Ihreborn and Business Interiors, we sat down for an exclusive chat with Jonas and Business Interiors’ Verity Osborne.

On designing for modern workplaces, Jonas is straightforward in what works and what doesn’t, “You want your workplace to be friendly, comfortable and welcoming,” he says. “When you come to work and it looks like an old ‘60s institution, people hate that. People want to come to a place where they can be proud to work.”

This approach to office design has been embraced worldwide by a design loving community that knows the value in contemporary office environments. Jonas’ success is representative of a global design trend favouring a back to basics, genuine approach to design. “It’s funny,” he says “what we’re doing is just old fashioned design work. It’s back to the roots of design – and suddenly, we’re different!”

When asked where he sees the future of commercial office design going, he reflects on his company’s history, “We have a history in residential design, and what we see in commercial is a desire for a more residential touch, especially in the working areas. The demands from the consumers are higher than ever – so design needs to respond to these. It should be fun – design should be fun. It should make your life easier.”

Business Interiors is the distributor for Jonas Ihreborn in Australia, and is an obvious fit for both brands. The existing Business Interiors range, like Ihreborn’s design, pairs honest and authentic design with a playful sense of flair. The relationship is a relatively new one, and helps build on Business Interiors’ recent brand strategy of pairing with international designers who bring something unique and genuine to the design landscape.

The mixing of residential aesthetics and commercial design is something designers are paying more attention in in the 21^st century, says Business Interiors marketing manager Verity Osborne, “It’s something designers are thinking more about now than they used to. It’s about the balance of spending a lot of hours at work, but making it a more pleasant experience for people. The mix of furniture in those work spaces is becoming more varied than it used to be”

In spite of this expertise approach to marrying design disciplines, Jonas is practical about design’s goals, “We’re not trying to be a fancy brand with a snobby attitude,” he says. “We tried to keep it down to earth. Scandinavian design is all about easy nice lines, with an inviting warmth.”