The Gotlandish carpenters making waves with their woodwork

With its craggy coastline and remote location, the unassuming island of Gotland doesn’t appear an ideal locale to start a renowned furniture business. Yet, Ringvide, which fashions its signature cabinets and credenzas from locally sourced wood in its Visby workshop, has become an international success, boasting a long list of influential clients. It all began by happenstance. “I made the first piece for our previous apartment,” says founder and design director Lukas Dahlén. Needing a TV bench for his former flat in southern Stockholm, Dahlén designed his own expressive sideboard. Eventually, he exhibited the original prototype at the prestigious furniture fair Salone Satellite in Milan in 2012. “We got great publicity, with our pieces ending up featured in all these magazines,” says Dahlén. Before long, requests came pouring in from abroad.

One of the international buyers flocking to procure Ringvide’s furniture was Louis Vuitton. “We have no idea how they stumbled across us,” says Dahlén. “My best guess is that someone high up came across our pieces and liked them.” As to why the woven design resonated with the French maison, Dahlén believes the fluid expression of the design reflects textiles. “As a fashion brand, I think it echoes the work they do,” he says. “But that’s just a guess.” Louis Vuitton has since returned time and time again for Ringvide’s Visby-made woven pieces to put in stores, showrooms, and in its airport lounge in Doha, Qatar, which is where this custom weave credenza in oak wood was headed after it was photographed just outside Ringvide’s studio. “They’ve just made another order,” says Dahlén. “But they’re so secretive we don’t know what it is for,” adds Leila Abd Alwaheb, Dahlén’s wife and business partner.

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Abd Alwaheb joined the company full-time in 2021, heading up logistics, PR, and – more recently – sales. But she has been a part of the Ringvide journey since long before she took on any official responsibilities. Having previously worked as a teacher, it was Abd Alwaheb who kept the duo afloat when they first moved to Gotland to set up their business. “If we didn’t work together, I’m not sure our relationship would have lasted,” she says. “I love working with Lukas. Of course, we tend to bring the work home, but working together keeps us motivated.”

Dahlén’s innovative approach to interior design often stems from his fascination for heritage techniques. Take the original Weave 133 credenza, for example. As the name suggests, weaving – “one of the oldest construction methods we have,” as Dahlén points out – is the core inspiration for the piece. Crafted from solid birch wood and laminated birch veneér, “it is made using a very traditional braiding method blown up in size,” says Dahlen.

“He tends to completely zone out for weeks when starting up a new design,” laughs Abd Alwaheb, describing how Dahlén will move through everyday life with a blank stare – lost in thought. “I recognise that. I relate to it, I do,” admits Dahlén. Ringvide’s intricate designs, best described as woodworking origami, are made possible by Dahlén’s dedication to craftsmanship. Currently, the brand is looking to bring more of the process in-house to enable more exploratory designs and better control over sustainable sourcing. Each product is produced by a team of trusted Gotlandish cabinetmakers, whose skills enable the complex carpentry. “Furniture isn’t really made today how it used to be,” says Dahlén. “It isn’t made to last.”