John Kandell

Kandell shelf "Pilaster"

John Kandell (* 1925 ; † 1991 ) was a Swedish architect , painter and designer .

Johan Kandell began his professional career in the early 1940s with the architect Carl-Axel Acking as a draftsman. In 1947 he finished his training at the Konstfack Art School in Stockholm , but immediately extended his studies at the Sculpture Department . For many years he was also a teacher at the art school. Kandell was sometimes hired by other architects for assignments in the field of furnishing and interior design, such as for courthouses, banks and churches. A larger commission was the design of the Tannefors church outside Linköping , which he designed in 1964 together with his brother Axel Kandell.

In the 1980s, John Kandell got in touch with the furniture company Källemo in Värnamo . This collaboration resulted in a long line of furniture classics, mainly chairs, for example

• the three-legged stool Camilla in clear colors from 1982
• the Vilan deck chair made of stained birch and natural leather from 1988
• the PimPim chair from 1990.

The simple Pilaster shelf from 1989, which was immediately plagiarized several times , became a bestseller . In 2005, Camilla and Pilaster were immortalized on a stamp by the Swedish Post in connection with the design year 2005 .

John Kandell was also involved in the HI group ( HI-groups ), where H stand for craftsmen and I for interior designers. The group consisted of about 15 members and existed from 1957 to 1966. One of Kandell's works within the HI group was the Singel armchair made of flat iron, leather and felt. The armchair was presented at the group's last exhibition in 1966 and went into production at Källemo in 1988.