Varier introduces a new colour series of the ‘Ekstrem’ chair
Terje Ekstrøm's postmodern masterpiece is presented in a new colour series, upholstered in Gentle 2 by Kvadrat Febrik

In partnership with Varier
Varier introduces a new series of its ‘Ekstrem’ chair, an iconic piece considered Norway’s first postmodern design. Best known for producing Peter Opsvik’s kneeling office chair, ‘Variable’, the company has been a destination for ‘out of the ordinary’ furniture that encourages a flexible approach to living spaces.
Conceived in 1972 by Terje Ekstrøm (1944 – 2013), and produced from 1984, the ‘Ekstrem’ chair was designed as a snake-like form whose soft, geometric composition allows for the body to sit, or lounge, in many ways.
Terje Ekstrøm’s radical design
Graduating from Oslo’s National College of Art and Design in the late 1960s, Ekstrøm had a background as a cabinet maker and upholsterer, and combined his design approach with a deep passion for craft. He operated in the 1970s and 1980s, at a time of significant cultural and social change in Norway, and his work reflected the radical ideas of a new generation of designers who wanted to contrast the aesthetics of Scandinavian design with a more disruptive approach to furniture and objects.
The chair’s playful name, meaning ‘extreme’ in Norwegian, references the designer’s name, and his design follows the principles of the radical freedom movement of the time. The chair’s original advertising campaign showcased a dozen different seating options, from traditional posture to front-to-back and sideways approaches.
‘Designers sought to dissociate from ideologies and develop a freer language of form that was less committed to convention,’ observes design historian Denise Hagströmer in the book Ekstrøm Extreme, accompanying an exhibition on the designer’s work at Oslo’s National Museum. This, combined with the emerging trend towards ergonomic design, influenced Ekstrøm’s work towards creating the unorthodox forms of the chair.
Varier ‘Ekstrem’ chair: a new colour series
Varier now launches a new series of the chair, upholstered in Gentle 2, from Kvadrat Febrik. The new ‘Ekstrem’ is available in six new colourways including four desaturated colours (orange, rose, blue and green), as well as black and white monochromatic colourways.
Febrik’s Gentle 2 is a choice that fits well with the chair’s flexible nature: the knitted velvet upholstery textile is the only one of its kind, and is defined by a voluminous presence, elegantly clinging to the chair’s curves, shining on its sinuous forms. It’s a fitting celebration of a design icon whose aesthetic and construction is as modern today as it was when it was first created.
INFORMATION
RRP starts at €2,999
varierfurniture.com
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
Inside MAZE Design Basel the city's new design fair
With only 11 exhibitors and the backdrop of a Swiss Gothic Revival church, MAZE Design Basel is a new intimate art fair for those in the know
-
A contemporary concrete and glass Belgian house is intertwined with its forested site
A new Belgian house, Govaert-Vanhoutte Architecten’s Residence SAB, brings refined modernist design into a sylvan setting, cleverly threading a multilayered new home between existing trees
-
The Grand Palais is a Parisian architectural feast, emerging from a mammoth restoration project
The Grand Palais reopens, unfurling its spectacular architectural splendour, meticulously restored by Chatillon Architectes – take a tour