From waste to an design stool
Lilla Snåland
When sustainability meets craftsmanship
Lilla Snåland was born from a simple yet powerful idea: seeing possibilities where others see waste. When designer Marie-Louise Hellgren visited Stolab’s factory in 2016, her attention was drawn to the small triangular wooden offcuts created during the production of seats for the classic Lilla Åland chair. For decades, these pieces had been a natural by-product of the manufacturing process, but they had never been given a new purpose.
At the same time, Stolab was actively exploring sustainability, with a strong focus on resource efficiency, reuse, and responsibility for future generations. Marie-Louise, whose design philosophy is rooted in making the most of materials and challenging the throwaway culture, immediately recognized the potential of these small pieces of wood.
Designer
Marie-Louise Hellgren
Creativity, craftsmanship, and respect for the material
Together with Stolab’s production team, she developed a design that allowed the offcuts to become a visible and integral part of the piece of furniture. The result was Lilla Snåland – a stool where every detail tells a story of creativity, craftsmanship, and respect for the material.
Since its launch, Lilla Snåland has become a celebrated design icon. The stool has been featured on Swedish television and in leading design publications, and has also been selected for the permanent collection of the Nationalmuseum. It is a clear example of how sustainable design can emerge from the unexpected - and how what was once considered waste can be transformed into something of lasting value.
