The EMIL wooden chair was originally a student piece by joiner and future University College of Arts, Crafts and Design student, Nike Karlsson. IKEA discovered and fell in love with the characteristic chair at the Stockholm Furniture Fair in 1992, and started working with Nike.
The chair was launched in autumn 1992 and was named EMIL. It was made of untreated pine or spruce, and also came in a brighter version with red, green-yellow or black stain.
In 1993 EMIL received the Excellent Swedish Design award for its contemporary simple design. And, when IKEA in 2009 launched the PS collection Never ending design stories, EMIL was revived as a children’s chair, also designed by Nike Karlsson.
