The factory buildings along the fjord here at Ikornnes belong to Ekornes, the largest furniture manufacturer in the Nordic region and the company behind the Stressless recliner. If you have ever sat in one, you know what the fuss is about.
Jens Ekornes started the company in 1934 with three employees and a German-made spring machine, making metal springs for mattresses and furniture in a small building right here on the waterfront. The company grew steadily, but the real breakthrough came in 1971 when they launched the Stressless recliner, a chair with a patented glide system that follows your body's movements. It became Norway's first proper TV chair. Over 10 million Stressless seats have been sold since then, in more than 40 countries. The factory here still produces over 1,300 chairs per day and is one of the most automated production facilities in Norway, with over 100 industrial robots.
But Ekornes is only part of the story. The municipality of Sykkylven is Norway's furniture capital. In the 1940s and 1950s, there were around 120 furniture workshops here. It all started when a farmer called Peter I. Langlo attended a wicker weaving course in nearby Stranda in 1908 and began making chairs. His success inspired the neighbours, and soon there was a furniture maker in every other basement. The Tripp Trapp children's chair, designed by local Peter Opsvik and produced by Stokke, also comes from this area. Over 10 million of those have been sold too. In 2018, the Ekornes family sold the company to Chinese furniture group Qumei for 5.1 billion kroner, but production remains here in Sykkylven.
The factory itself is unfortunately not open to the public, but there is a small furniture museum, Møbelmuseet, in the centre of Sykkylven that covers over a hundred years of the local industry. It is open on limited hours, so check ahead. The Ekornes showroom, Ekornes Bua, is in Ålesund.
Jens Ekornes started the company in 1934 with three employees and a German-made spring machine, making metal springs for mattresses and furniture in a small building right here on the waterfront. The company grew steadily, but the real breakthrough came in 1971 when they launched the Stressless recliner, a chair with a patented glide system that follows your body's movements. It became Norway's first proper TV chair. Over 10 million Stressless seats have been sold since then, in more than 40 countries. The factory here still produces over 1,300 chairs per day and is one of the most automated production facilities in Norway, with over 100 industrial robots.
But Ekornes is only part of the story. The municipality of Sykkylven is Norway's furniture capital. In the 1940s and 1950s, there were around 120 furniture workshops here. It all started when a farmer called Peter I. Langlo attended a wicker weaving course in nearby Stranda in 1908 and began making chairs. His success inspired the neighbours, and soon there was a furniture maker in every other basement. The Tripp Trapp children's chair, designed by local Peter Opsvik and produced by Stokke, also comes from this area. Over 10 million of those have been sold too. In 2018, the Ekornes family sold the company to Chinese furniture group Qumei for 5.1 billion kroner, but production remains here in Sykkylven.
The factory itself is unfortunately not open to the public, but there is a small furniture museum, Møbelmuseet, in the centre of Sykkylven that covers over a hundred years of the local industry. It is open on limited hours, so check ahead. The Ekornes showroom, Ekornes Bua, is in Ålesund.