Anna von Schewen graduated from the University of Art, Craft and Design in Stockholm in 1995. Part of her studies was at the UIAH – University of Art and Design Helsinki. After her graduation a scholarship brought her to the design studio of Niels Gammelgaard in Copenhagen where she joined the design team for two years. Back in Stockholm in 1997 Anna von Schewen starts her own design studio from where she works independently since.
She has gained a reputation for her experimental furniture design as well as attended exhibition designs and architecture. Significant in her work is the interest in developing structures based on textile but also stretching other material and techniques to create useful objects. With the Latta chair she examines the possibility to make a soft seat without using upholstery material. Later with the Hug chair she shows how to transform a poetic idea of sitting, into a complex, industrially produced structure in solid wood.
Anna von Schewen works for Gärsnäs, Lammhults, Ikea, Pukeberg, Collection Pascale, Skruf, Svenskt Tenn.
Her design has been awarded Excellent Swedish Design 1998, 1999 and Excellent Swedish Design Design Prize 2002 and Best in Swedish Design for the EDIDA/Elle Decoration International Design Awards in 2002. In 2003 she received the prestigious Bruno Mathsson Award.
In 2009 her chair Twist was awarded “Best furniture of the year” by interior magazine Sköna Hem.
Anna von Schewens work is represented in the permanent collections of Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art in Amsterdam, Kunstindustrimuseet in Oslo, Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg. Her work has been presented in exhibitions around the world and in many books and publications like the International Design Year Book and MD Design Year Book.
Anna von Schewen has designed numerous exhibitions such as Excellent Swedish Design for Svensk Form (The Swedish Society of Crafts and Design) and Concept Design for Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. She has also collaborated on exhibition design with Form Design Center in Malmö and companies like Dux, Boob etc. Together with industrial designer Björn Dahlström she designed the permanent exhibition at the Swedish Museum of Architecture in StockhoIm as well as the museums travelling exhibition about Designer and architect Bruno Mathsson.
Anna von Schewen made her a name as an architect with the well published Kovilan project in 1998, a summerhouse for a private family. The house was nominated to the Wooden house Award 2000. The house is included in the “Ultimate house book” by Sir Terence Conran.
Anna von Schewen was born in Stockholm and grew up partly in the Stockholm archipelago.