Leó Jóhannsson trained to be a cabinetmaker in Reykjavik before moving to Stockholm where he studied interior architecture and furniture design at Konstfack University of Art, Crafts and Design in 1978-1982. Jóhannsson’s degree project was to design and manufacture the six characters of chess into chairs.
After graduation Jóhannsson worked at several architectural offices and furniture production, while also working as a designer. During the 1980’s he designed the chair Diabas, with a tall back seat, for Eje Ström Company and in 1994 he designed the armchair Kavalkad for Karl Andersson & Söner. Kavalkad was made in three different sizes, because people are built differently.
As an interior architect Jóhannsson has worked on major projects such as the redecoration of the Riksdagsbiblioteket (the Government’s library) in Stockholm and the Icelandic Allting (the Icelandic parliament). Leó Jóhannsson has been a lecturer and later associate professor and head of division at LiU Malmstens in Lidingö since 2000. He is represented at the Museum of Furniture Studies with the Diabas chair.
