After years of working as an industrial designer, Petrus Palmer had become frustrated with his industry. “The products are beautiful, the culture is amazing, the people are great, but how business is being conducted is old-school,” he says. “So, instead of complaining about it, I took matters into my own hands and started Hem to be a more progressive design company.”
Now entering its seventh year, the Stockholm-based furniture and accessories brand, which recently opened a New York outpost, continues to reflect that goal. “Most brands,” says Palmer, “are operating in a traditional business model, partnering with middlemen. That makes them distant, put on pedestals, merchandised and sold by other venues.” Such frameworks, he feels, limit customer feedback and the opportunity “to create a culture and a community” around brands…
