Reform Design Lab is an innovative Swedish design company that merges art and technology into sustainable high-end furniture. By combining extraordinary design with new technology and sustainable manufacturing methods and materials, Reform Design Lab not only creates groundbreaking products but has also opened the door to a completely new design paradigm and way of manufacturing. Following on from their first product, the Reform Lounge Chair — an exquisitely undulating lounge chair designed by Jurij Rahimkulov — the journey continues with the launch of the new table Gestalt, and the upscaling of production, to fully realize the vision of a global network of 3D printing facilities.
"We have positioned ourselves among the global pioneers in circular high-end furniture. It is neither mass production nor craftsmanship, but a third, completely disruptive way of manufacturing which did not exist before. We show how cutting-edge technology enables a new path towards circularity between traditional craftsmanship and mass production to solve some of the problems facing the world. We are revolutionizing the design and interior design industry," says Måns Broman, CEO of Reform Design Lab, which he co-founded with Jurij Rahimkulov (the company's Creative Director) and his father, designer Rutger Andersson, with the clear vision and goal of bringing art and technology together into sustainable design objects.
The first seed for what would become the Reform Design Lab was planted in 2017 when Jurij Rahimkulov designed the first piece of furniture, the Reform Lounge Chair (that later gave the brand its name), after using a small 3D printer they had in their offices at the time.
"It was basically a result of trying to understand the technology and create a form that could not be manufactured in any other way. In the beginning, this was the driving force, to create something that had never been done before. Later on, we realized what a revolution it would be if we could rationally produce it in 3D printers worldwide. We could completely remove long transports from the equation," Måns Broman explains.
The Reform Lounge Chair is made of UPM Formi 3D — a wood-based biocomposite material that makes it sustainable to produce, use and recycle. The high-quality material allows printed furniture to be used both indoors and outdoors while contributing to a significantly lower carbon footprint. Compared to traditional oil-based plastic, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by up to 80%.
"We wanted it to be circular and sustainable, and therefore we decided early on to work with serious material suppliers who place great focus on traceability and sustainability. But the big problem was that no suppliers were working with large-scale 3D printing. The technology was scarce. It took almost a year of tests at the Swedish research institute RISE, with the latest 3D printing technology, before we had a functional test we could sit on," says Måns Broman.
With the Reform Lounge Chair, the young design company proved how it is possible to produce and consume sustainably with the help of new technology, new materials, and new shapes.
"The result exceeded expectations, but it required an enormous amount of work. But thanks to that hard work, we now have a truly unique product. It was very fun and satisfying to see it being received in the fantastic way it was. We did not know if the world was ready for this," says Måns Broman.
But ready it was, and today Reform Design Lab has customers and resellers all over the world, figures in global design media, and can be found in exclusive furniture galleries. Måns Broman says that the company also sees great interest from all parts of the design industry.
Reform Design Lab's latest piece Gestalt is a coffee table with an innovative organic shape. The table is printed in the same UPM Formi 3D as the chair and has an elegant table-top in glass. The table's undulating waves make it clear that it belongs to the same family as the lounge chair, but it has an equally strong character when placed on its own.
Måns Broman says that since the official start about a year ago, Reform Design Lab has continued to work on streamlining production and logistics since it was quite challenging to scale up so quickly. "We also have contact with several manufacturers around the world so our vision of global-local production is getting closer. Thanks to the fact that our model is scalable, unlike conventional furniture factories, there are also great opportunities to grow with external capital. A circular, sustainable and scalable furniture company has never existed before."
The next big step for Reform Design Lab is to start their own production facility, which they hope will be ready in 2022. "After that, we want to realize our vision of global-local production with facilities in the US, Asia, and the UAE. In addition, we will develop more products and also work with other materials and other additive technologies. So far, we have only scratched the surface," says Måns Broman.
Image Credits
Photography: Garland + Pine
Location: The Photo Gallery Sweden
