Max Lamb's Economy Chair lands at Hem as the Min Chair

May 20. Max Lamb's Economy Chair, a chunky prototype first shown in 2020, is in production. Swedish brand Hem is manufacturing it as the Min Chair, rendered in pinewood.

The original Economy Chair was a studio exercise. Lamb built it from oversized components, each piece thick enough to feel deliberate rather than efficient. The silhouette read as furniture stripped to structure. No upholstery, no joinery finesse. Just wood at right angles, heavy enough to anchor a room.

Hem's version keeps the proportions but shifts the material. The Min Chair uses pinewood where the prototype used mixed stock. The result is lighter in tone but not in presence. The chair still sits low, still corners hard, still refuses to apologize for taking up space.

The production tell

Lamb's studio work rarely makes it to catalog. Most of his pieces live as one-offs or limited editions, shown once and archived. The Economy Chair's move to Hem signals a different trajectory. A prototype from the studio floor, now priced and shipping.

The Min Chair lands in Hem's permanent collection this summer. No release date yet, no retail price announced. The piece joins a lineup that leans Scandinavian-minimal but tends to welcome outliers when the silhouette holds.

Lamb has spent two decades making furniture that looks like it was built by someone who doesn't care about furniture trends. The Economy Chair, now the Min Chair, fits that register. A seat that could have been made in 1975 or 2025, depending on who's asking.