Eikund – December 2025
The Iconic Hunter Lounge Chair
– now dressed in canvas
The canvas edition brings a sporty, understated expression while offering strength and lasting comfort. Perfect for everyday living.
Not many Norwegian designers – or designers in general – can claim that First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy purchased their work. Or the Emperor of Japan, for that matter. Or, to bring it a little closer to home: That they designed the office of former Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. As you might sense, Torbjørn Afdal was a major name in the mid-20th century. And even though one of his original Hunter chairs was once auctioned in the US under “Danish design” (valued at NOK 75,000), he truly helped put Norwegian design on the map.
The so-called hunting chair was a highly popular chair type in Scandinavian design during the 1950s and 60s, known for its inviting, relaxed form and visible craftsmanship. Afdal’s take on the hunting chair is slightly more refined, with simpler, cleaner lines and cuts. The chair remains low and comfortable, but showcases its craftsmanship more elegantly through the organic frame, the stretched leather, and the cast brass buckles.
Eikund’s new version is dressed in canvas, a material that nods both to the expedition-inspired aesthetic many hunting chairs originally aimed for, while also making the chair more accessible to a wider audience with a lower price point than its leather predecessor.
As a producer of Norwegian design classics, it’s a delicate balance to adapt pieces to our time while preserving the essential elements of Afdal’s original design. This work has been done once before with Eikund’s classic Hunter Lounge Chair, but by replacing the leather itself, Eikund takes the development one step further.
“Eikund LAB is where we push boundaries and explore new materials and possibilities. It can be where we create selected custom-made pieces, or just a subtle extension of our heritage, adding a unique twist without shifting the spotlight from the original classic.”, explains Morten Hippe COO of Eikund and designer behind the Hunter canvas version.
“I always strive for the best possible solution – that balance between function and aesthetics. During the development phase of this chair, I almost gave up; no matter what I tried, something was always off. When you’re pursuing perfection, you have to be uncompromising, there’s no point in doing it if the solution has flaws.”
The canvas solution is adjustable in the same way as the leather version, but uses velcro instead of brass buckles on the back and beneath the seat. The frame remains the same, and one can easily switch between both canvas and leather. The canvas edition brings a sporty, understated expression while offering strength and lasting comfort. Perfect for everyday living.
“I’m extremely happy with the result, and I believe Torbjørn Afdal would be too. We haven’t made a single compromise in this process,” says Hippe.
Eikund is now launching 60 First Edition pieces of the Hunter Canvas Lounge Chair, featuring contrast stitching and a uniquely numbered brass coin. The hangtag is also made specifically for these 60 pieces – crafted from upcycled leather offcuts from the original Hunter chair production, including a signed certificate.