A&E design
A&E Design (A&E Design AB) is one of the leading Scandinavian companies in the field of industrial design , headquartered in Stockholm .
The enterprise
A&E Design was founded in 1968 by Tom Ahlström (* 1943) and Hans Ehrich (* 1942). Both had studied design and blacksmithing at the Konstfack Art School in Stockholm. Her theses were plastic furniture or an electric car.
Tom Ahlström and Hans Ehrich specialized early on in the design of plastic objects and aids for the disabled. Since then, A&E Design has developed a variety of products for the elderly and physically disabled, for example a wheelchair that transports people into the shower and lifts them into it, a bath chair for hospitals and armrests in toilets for the disabled or just a simple extension for the handle on the tap.
Another large area in which A&E Design has become internationally known is ergonomically and functionally designed everyday objects. This includes a rinsing brush which was developed in 1975 for the Norwegian company Jordan A / S and which is still in production (2007), so far in 60 million copies. The waiting number system with number display for AB Turn-O-Matic , which finally brought order to the queues at the sausage counter or at the employment office , also became known worldwide . Another successful product was the Stockholm II folding stool , which was originally designed for the National Museum in Stockholm and is now appreciated by tired museum visitors all over the world.
photos
Turn-O-Matic 1974
Turn-O-Matic M90
Dish brushes 1974
Hans Ehrich 2008
"Bam Bam" plastic chair
Museum stool 1995
window cleaner
Awards
- Fourteen awards Utmärkt Svensk Form by Svensk Form
- Three Red Dot awards for the highest design quality from the Design Center North Rhine-Westphalia ( Red dot design award )
- Two Red Dot awards for high design quality from the Design Center North Rhine-Westphalia (Red dot design award) .
A&E Designs Collection of models and prototypes
In January 2015, the Swedish National Museum in Stockholm took over A&E Designs' full collection of models and prototypes . There are almost 400 handcrafted objects that were created between 1968 and 2015. According to Berndt Arell, current head of the museum, the material represents "... a unique collection, not only in terms of size, but also in terms of quality and aesthetics", which "will be of great importance for future research and in connection with exhibitions" .
Models and prototypes, examples
Hammer (1972) and Paper Scissors (1971).
Dish Brush (1974)
Vacuum cleaner, 50% smaller (1975).
Reusable bottle for milk (1992). From left: solid model, prototype, finished product
Hans Ehrich Tom Ahlström in front of some models (2015).
bibliography
- A&E Design - The Book , Business History Publishing, Stockholm (2018), ISBN 978-91-984266-4-9
Literature and Sources
- Skandinavisk Design , Taschen GmbH, Cologne, 2002
