Peter Opsvik
Peter Opsvik: furniture that makes room for movement
Peter Opsvik (1939 to 2024) was a Norwegian industrial designer, visual artist and jazz musician from Stranda. He trained in Bergen and Oslo, worked as a designer at Tandberg and became independent in 1970. The relationship between body and chair became a recurring question in a practice that also encompassed prints, objects and music.
Tripp Trapp and life around the table
Tripp Trapp was designed in 1972 for Stokke. Its seat and footrest adjust in height and depth, allowing the furniture to accommodate different body sizes. The starting point was a child’s place at the family table. Its clear construction makes adjustment a visible part of the form rather than concealing it within an enclosed piece of furniture.
MoMA records Tripp Trapp in its collection with the date 1972 to 1973. The designer’s own archive uses 1972 as its design year. Such information belongs to the history of the model and its cataloguing; it does not automatically date a chair found on the second-hand market.
Balans, Variable and Capisco
The origins of the balans concept must be distinguished from the design of individual chairs. Hans Christian Mengshoel developed the concept and invited Peter Opsvik, Oddvin Rykken and Svein Gusrud to devise their own solutions. Prototypes were shown in Copenhagen in 1979. Opsvik’s contribution was Variable.
Introduced in 1979, Variable has curved runners, a sloping seat and two shin supports. Its aim was to offer different positions and possibilities for movement, rather than hold the body in a single kneeling posture. The archive identifies Stokke as brand/licensee from 1979 to 2006 and Varier from 2006. These names therefore matter when identifying different production periods.
HÅG Capisco of 1984, redesigned in 1999, drew inspiration from a horse rider’s posture. The saddle form and openings in its seat and back provide space for arms and legs in different positions. The collaboration with HÅG brought Opsvik’s thinking about movement into the industrial development of office furniture. The design intention is documented; it is not an individual health promise.
Between furniture and art object
Garden of 1985, subsequently reworked in 2014, challenges conventions about how people should sit. Its tree-like form is also a visual statement within a room. For the Cylindra works, Opsvik drew on barrel-making knowledge but used glued wooden staves to form cylinders for freer, sculptural furniture. The works were presented in Oslo in 1986.
Documentation when buying and selling
Distinguish designer, model, brand/licensee and production date. Document labels, model numbers, dimensions, construction and any later components. On an adjustable chair, examine locks, fittings, glue joints, mechanisms and wear specifically. Replaced upholstery or coverings do not automatically make the chair a different model.
For older children’s chairs, accessories and compatibility must be checked against the manufacturer’s documentation for the particular version. A familiar model name or historical design award does not confirm that an individual second-hand example is complete or suitable for a particular use.
Read more about artist signatures, provenance and ownership history.
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