In 2021, Sara Szyber was awarded the Axel Larsson Memorial Fund Scholarship by Svensk Form, the Swedish Design Association. The jury praised her for “a furniture design that stands firmly in the Swedish furniture tradition while taking a new direction through its own design language and new production techniques, as exemplified by the Check Mate armchair. With its decorative checkerboard pattern printed directly onto the visible birch wood frame, the armchair creates an interaction between two-dimensional graphics and three-dimensional form. This is tradition and innovation at its best.”
The Check Mate Chairs are an extension of the furniture project Death Proof Cabinet, exploring printed patterns on birch blockboard in combination with metal. The printed surfaces give each chair a distinct character, referencing traditional inlay techniques while reinterpreting them through contemporary production methods. Varying back heights offer different seating experiences, unified by a shared design language and the clear geometry of the metal base. Photos by Daniel Camerini. (Produced by Sara Szyber, 2021)