In a small workshop in Umeå, Alfred Sahlén transforms cold metal into shapes that feel alive and organic. Self-taught, persistent, and with an eye shaped by industrial aesthetics, he creates furniture and objects that balance between hard and soft, with a clear sense of both function and design.
When you talk to Alfred Sahlén, you’re met with a calm that can only come from someone who naturally does things their own way. At 30 years old, born and raised in northern Sweden, he works in the steel industry by day and since 2019 has run his own workshop in Umeå - a place where his creativity is able to claim space.
“I’ve always been building and creating things,” he explains. “It’s just something that’s always been there. I never went to school for it; I’ve always learned by trying things out. There’s been a lot of trial and error, but also a lot of freedom. That’s probably why my work looks the way it does now.”
When Alfred discovered the Dutch design studio Odd Matter, it inspired him to start taking his own creative projects seriously. What began with tin melted on his kitchen stove eventually led him to build his own aluminum furnace, which enabled him to take on larger projects.
“The first time I tried it, it didn’t work at all,” he laughs. “But that just pushed me forward. I started thinking about what happens when something hard meets something soft - like metal when it melts and solidifies in an organic shape. I like doing everything from scratch: melting, shaping, building… There’s something very satisfying about that.”
Sahlén’s visual language is deeply connected to his everyday surroundings. He talks about the light in the factories, how it reflects off steel, how structures and surfaces evolve into patterns. And although design is often thought to revolve around big cities, Alfred doesn’t feel any lack of creativity in northern Sweden; quite the opposite.
“I visit a lot of different industries through work. There’s so much metal, stainless steel, and reflective surfaces everywhere. It might not sound romantic, but I think it’s really beautiful. There’s a rawness and functionality there that I try to bring into my own work. And overall, it’s easy to get help up here in the North. People show up for each other. There’s space to build, space to experiment. I think there’s a huge advantage in being here.”
When asked what advice he’d give to someone who wants to start creating, he doesn’t hesitate. “Just start. Anywhere. The internet (and with that, the world) is so big - there will always be someone out there who understands and likes what you do.”
His most important lesson is not to make things too complicated.
“Nothing has to be perfect. No one else knows what it was supposed to look like anyway. That’s a pretty freeing realization.”
Besides Odd Matter, Sahlén says he’s been inspired by the now-defunct Örnsbergsauktionen, an annual design auction that once gathered contemporary Swedish designers. “I found it too late, unfortunately, but the old catalogs that are still online are full of inspiration. That also gave me a lot of encouragement and confidence to start showing my own work.”
He sees the future as open but with a clear direction. “I want to keep making bigger things. I started small, but now I want to build large tables and furniture. There’s something about the scale that I really enjoy.” And when asked about his dream client, he just laughs -
“Dr. Alban! He’s my favorite artist. If he ever gets in touch, he can get a discount.”
When Alfred talks about his craft, he often returns to the same themes: simplicity, presence, and drive. Maybe that’s why his work feels so natural. It comes from a place where ideas don’t have to be grand to matter; from a belief in finding beauty in the small things, and in always daring to trust yourself.
“It’s easy to assume that everything happens in Stockholm, but it works just as well here in the North. You can get help, there’s material, there’s space… You just have to start.”
Reach Alfred Sahlén by emailing alfred@verkstad.as - Image Credits - Private and Martin Brusewitz/HEM
