Flora – The cook, the furniture maker, the designer, and the ultimate dining chair
A Fogia Journal / October 2026
A year and a half ago, a collaboration began between furniture maker Fogia, chef and restaurateur Esben Holmboe Bang – the man behind Oslo’s three-star restaurant, Maaemo – and Grung Engesvik, the design studio founded by Andreas Engesvik and Jannicke Grung. Their efforts have now come to fruition: a dining chair named Flora.
Not many restaurants earn multiple Michelin stars. Maaemo has received no fewer than three, not least for its unconventional selection and preparation of organic and foraged ingredients, and for combining creativity and originality with great care and precision. The Flora chair was created in the same spirit. Together, Fogia, Holmboe Bang, and Grung Engesvik decided to use as few ingredients as possible and get as much as they could out of them.
Flora taking shape on paper. Sketches from the development of the armchair, designed by Grung Engesvik.
A chair designed for evenings that take their time.
Esben Holmboe Bang didn’t begin thinking about a new chair to replace the Bollo chairs he’d had in the restaurant since 2020 because he was dissatisfied with them but because the distinctive Bollo had, over the years, become something of a phenomenon. The chair appeared in TV series such as Succession, as well as in an increasing number of restaurants around the world. “There was even an article in Aftenposten about just how popular the Bollo had become,” explains Andreas Engesvik with a laugh. “That’s when Esben rang me and asked if I was interested in designing a new chair. He wanted something that no one else had,” he continues. “And so I called Marcus Huber, the CEO of Fogia.”
Huber says that Fogia has worked closely with Andreas and Jannicke for many years: “It’s always a joy to work with them. In this project, Esben presented us with a challenge we simply had to accept: create the ultimate dining chair. A chair that is exceptionally comfortable and distinguished, making you feel elegant when sitting in it.”
The people behind Flora, together at Maaemo in Oslo. From left to right: Fogia CEO Marcus Huber, designer Andreas Engesvik, chef Esben Holmboe Bang and designer Jannicke Grung.
Holmboe Bang and Engesvik are acquainted in the way that people are who move in the same circles in the same city. “We got to know each other at the restaurant,” recalls Holmboe Bang. “Andreas likes food, I like design, and Oslo is a small town.”
Holmboe Bang sees his restaurant as a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art: “Every object matters and everything works together to create an all-encompassing experience.” In this setting, the dining chair’s key role is to offer guests maximum comfort.
Engesvik agrees: “We’ve been uncompromising in our quest to provide the highest possible level of comfort. This is a chair that works in harmony with the body. When you lean back, it moves with you, and likewise when you lean forward to stand up. It doesn’t resist your movements; it affirms them. And thanks to its generous seat, you can change your position with ease – which may well be necessary, as there’s a good chance you’ll be seated for three or four hours when dining at Maaemo.”
Generosity is one of the Flora chair’s key concepts. It is considerably wider and somewhat taller than most. You might say it carves out a position all its own amongst dining chairs by approaching armchair comfort. Yet, despite its generous proportions, Flora looks unexpectedly light and sleek. Both its upholstered seat and backrest are remarkably slim, considering just how comfortable it is to sit in. But this comfort is largely due to the design of its steel frame. This is what makes the chair so responsive to the person sitting in it, to the body’s signals and movements.
Flora is understated yet distinctive, with an effortless elegance. At first glance, the botanical inspiration for its name may not be immediately apparent: the chair’s subtle character unfolds gradually.
Perhaps the chair’s most distinctive visual feature is the slender, unbroken lines of its tubular steel frame – in particular, how the rear legs extend to form armrests. This approach demands great precision in both design and craftsmanship.
Even though Flora was designed for a specific setting, it is suitable for any environment where both style and comfort matter: at home, in a conference room or in a hotel.
