In 2000, Engesvik cofounded Norway Says, the internationally recognized studio that helped bring Norwegian design to the global stage at a time when Scandinavian design was largely recognized for its iconic past. “At the time, the design scene in Norway was very small and local,” Engesvik reminisced, “and when we first went to Milan with a group of Norwegian designers, I wanted to bring forward that we were not ashamed of being Norwegian or part of the Scandinavian design history.”

After studying art history at the University of Bergen Norway, he went on to complete an MA in design at the National College of Art and Design. From there, he launched his career as one of Norway’s—and Scandinavia’s—leading designers of furniture, objects, accessories, and more.

Today, Engesvik’s studio, Andreas Engesvik, Oslo, works with international clients, such as Iittala, Fogia, and HAY, to create responsible, long-lasting, and accessible designs. “Good products are responsible products that are available and accessible for people,” he explained. From tableware to furniture to industrial design, his work evokes Scandinavian minimalism but brings forward a character that Engesvik described as uniquely Norwegian: “a little bit freer and a little bit more poetic compared to our neighbors in Sweden or Denmark.” Engesvik’s Portrait Chair, the winner of Norway’s National Museum’s new chair competition, is his first design manufactured and distributed by Herman Miller.