Anna Lindgren studied a master’s in industrial design at Konstfack University of Art, Craft and Design in Stockholm and graduated in 2004. Together with fellow students Sofia Lagerqvist, Charlotte von der Lancken and Katja Pettersson, Lindgren founded the design studio Front Design. One of the studios first assignments was to design the entrence and café at the Tensta Art Gallery. The result was an interior, made to change over time with plants growing free, and over time the wear of the visitors would bring out the gold that was painted under the gray color on the floor. For the café at Tensta Art Gallery, Front used a simple and cheap plastic chair, that they gave a leather upholstery and wheels. The chair called Tensta Konsthall was produced by Belgian manufacturer Vlaemsch.
Front Design has since then assigned part of the making of design to animals, computers or machines. They have created objects with explosions, robotic furniture and a range of furniture inspired by their fascination with magic.
Among their clients one can mention Moroso, Moooi, Vestre, Kartell, Gemla, and IKEA. Their first industrial products was the coat-hanger Hanger and the waste paper basket Bin for Materia in 2005. In 2009 Katja Pettersson left Front, and six years later so did Charlotte von der Lancken. Lindgren and Lagerqvist has continued the studios work in design and interior architecture on the international market. As a part of Front, Lindgren has been the recipient of several awards and prizes where the Guldstolen for the wastepaper basket Bin in 2007, the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg prize in 2010, the Red Dot Award – Best of the Best in 2014 and the Bruno Mathsson Design Award in 2023.
In 2018 Lindgren and Lagerqvist created a permanent lamp installation for the library at the re-opened Swedish National Museum of Fine Arts in Stockholm. In 2019/2020 Front Design was a part of the Female Traces exhibition at the Museum of Furniture Studies. Front’s work is represented at MoMA in New York, Victoria & Albert Museum in London, M+ in Hong Kong, Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Museum of Furniture Studies in Stockholm.
