peter opsvik as
Peter Opsvik AS is a 7-person Oslo-based industrial design studio that licenses its dynamic-sitting furniture IP — including Tripp Trapp, HÅG Capisco, and Variable — to global manufacturers like Stokke, HÅG/FLOKK, and Varier, earning royalties across home, office, and education segments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersOslo, Norway
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What peter opsvik as does
Peter Opsvik AS is a privately held Norwegian industrial design studio operating from Oslo, founded by industrial designer Peter Opsvik (1939–2024) and formally incorporated in 1992, with the founder's freelance practice dating to 1970. The company's core technology centers on dynamic-sitting furniture mechanisms — including balanced-tilt pivots, wheel/roller-based tilt systems, spiral-spring foot-controlled tilt, and rope-suspended seating — embodied in proprietary designs such as the Variable kneeling chair, HÅG Capisco saddle chair, Tripp Trapp, Gravity, and the Balans chair family. Under the philosophy "the best sitting posture is always the next," these designs reject fixed-posture ergonomics in favor of continuous movement and posture variation.
The business model is asset-light IP licensing: Peter Opsvik AS does not manufacture, market, or distribute products directly. Instead, it licenses designs to established furniture manufacturers — Stokke (Tripp Trapp, Nomi), HÅG/FLOKK (Capisco, Creed, Conventio, Step Up), Varier Furniture (Variable, Gravity, Thatsit), Form2 (Garden, Globe Concept), Matre (Python), and Cylindra (sculptural objects) — and earns royalties on global production and sales. Pricing is set entirely by licensees and is not disclosed. End customers span home consumers (Tripp Trapp, Variable), corporate offices (Capisco, Conventio, Creed), educational institutions (Tripp Trapp, Nomi, School Desk), and design collectors (Cylindra objects, Cabinet art pieces, Sound Objects). Geographic reach spans Norway, Sweden, Germany, the UK, France, Belgium, Italy, the USA, and Japan through licensee distribution networks and museum permanent collections at MoMA, Centre Pompidou, V&A, Vitra Design Museum, and Stedelijk Museum.
The studio is unusually lean for its IP footprint — 7 employees — reflecting the licensing-only model. With the founder's death in 2024, the company enters a leadership-succession phase while continuing to administer the existing licensing agreements, design archive, and brand legacy.
peter opsvik as firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- peter opsvik as
- Legal name
- Peter Opsvik AS
- Website
- https://opsvik.no
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Peter Opsvik AS is a 7-person Oslo-based industrial design studio that licenses its dynamic-sitting furniture IP — including Tripp Trapp, HÅG Capisco, and Variable — to global manufacturers like Stokke, HÅG/FLOKK, and Varier, earning royalties across home, office, and education segments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
peter opsvik as industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Furniture Design Licensing
- NAICS
- Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (337), Household and Institutional Furniture Manufacturing (33712)
- SIC
- Household Furniture (2510), Office Furniture (2520)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)
Keywords
Where peter opsvik as is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oslo
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
peter opsvik as business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Licensing Royalties: Peter Opsvik AS licenses designs to furniture manufacturers worldwide including Stokke (Tripp Trapp, Nomi), HÅG/FLOKK (Capisco, Creed, Conventio), Varier Furniture (Variable, Gravity), Form2 (Garden), Matre (Python), and Cylindra. The company earns royalties from these licensing agreements.
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels5 records
peter opsvik as product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Peter Opsvik AS is an industrial design studio that creates and licenses ergonomic furniture designs — most notably dynamic sitting chairs and the iconic adjustable Tripp Trapp children's chair. The studio does not manufacture products; instead it licenses its designs to established furniture manufacturers worldwide (Stokke, HÅG/FLOKK, Varier, Form2, Matre, Cylindra), earning royalties on the production and sale of the resulting chairs. Its philosophy — "the best sitting posture is always the next" — drives designs that promote movement, posture variation, and freedom of movement while seated.
Product overview
Peter Opsvik AS is an industrial design studio specializing in ergonomic furniture that challenges traditional sitting norms. The company's product portfolio centers on dynamic sitting concepts—including the iconic Tripp Trapp children's chair, Variable kneeling chairs, and the HÅG Capisco saddle chair—manufactured through licensing partnerships with Stokke, HÅG/FLOKK, Varier Furniture, Matre, and Form2. The portfolio includes core ergonomic seating products (Gravity, Actulum, Multi balans), accessories (Step Up footrest), art objects (Cylindra sculptural furniture, Cabinet art pieces, Sound Objects), and concept projects (Butterfly electric vehicle). The company philosophy emphasizes that 'the best sitting posture is always the next,' creating furniture that inspires freedom of movement and variation of posture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tripp Trapp Adjustable children's chair with movable seat and footrest that grows with the child from infancy to adulthood; licensed to Stokke for global production and retail.
- Variable kneeling chair Dynamic kneeling chair with curved rail tilting mechanism that allows forward and backward movement; originally produced by Stokke and now licensed to Varier Furniture as Variable.
- HÅG Capisco saddle chair Semi-symmetric saddle chair offering freedom of movement and multiple sitting positions for office environments; licensed to HÅG/FLOKK.
- Gravity balans chair Balans chair design featuring a wheel-based tilting mechanism that allows natural movement while seated; licensed to Varier Furniture.
- Stokke Nomi children's chair Children's chair designed to allow movement while seated; licensed to Stokke.
- Garden chair Conceptual chair with unconventional forms that encourage creative sitting postures; licensed to Form2.
- Python chair Early chair design exploring unconventional seating forms based on the Balans principle; licensed to Matre.
- Cylindra Objects (sculptural furniture) Sculptural furniture objects created from cylindrical wooden forms, blending functionality with artistic expression; licensed to Cylindra.
Quantifiable outcome
- Products remain in production and relevant for decades (Tripp Trapp since 1972, Variable since 1979, Capisco since 1984)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use peter opsvik as
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
peter opsvik as technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
peter opsvik as partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and strategic.
- Varier FurniturecoreVarier Furniture has been the licensed manufacturer of Variable (since 2006, previously Stokke), Gravity (since 2006), Thatsit, Actulum, Wing, and Multi (previously Stokke). Varier specializes in dynamic sitting chairs based on the Balans principle.
- Harald Røstvik (Architect)supportingCollaboration with architect Harald Røstvik on the Butterfly electric vehicle concept/prototype (1996). The concept explores light electric vehicles where energy capture cells charge the vehicle's batteries using renewable energy.
- StokkecoreStokke has been the licensed manufacturer of Tripp Trapp (since 1972) and Stokke Nomi (since 2013). The Tripp Trapp is Peter Opsvik's most iconic design - an adjustable children's chair that grows with the child. Stokke previously manufactured Variable (1979-2006), Multi Balans (1981-2006), and other designs.
- HÅG/FLOKKcoreHÅG (now part of FLOKK) has been the licensed manufacturer of HÅG Capisco (since 1984), HÅG Capisco Puls (since 2010), HÅG Creed/H05 (since 2000), HÅG Conventio (since 1996), HÅG Conventio Wing (since 2006), and HÅG Step Up (since 1993). The Capisco is one of Opsvik's most recognized ergonomic chairs, winner of numerous awards.
- Form2supportingForm2 (operating as Globe Concept) manufactures Garden chair, Globe Tree, and Globe Two. Previously manufactured by Stokke (1985-2005) and Moment AB (2014-). The Garden chair was developed more as a conceptual message about breaking sitting norms than as commercial furniture.
- MatresupportingMatre manufactures Python chair (designed 1975). The Python is one of Opsvik's earlier dynamic sitting designs.
- CylindrasupportingCylindra manufactures the Cylindra Objects sculptural furniture line and operates Gallery Cylindra in Sykkylven, Norway. The company is located in the oldest furniture factory in Sykkylven, built in 1911.
- Norwegian Ministry of Foreign AffairsstrategicThe Ministry initiated and supported the major touring exhibition 'Movement - Peter Opsvik' (1999-2002) to increase familiarity with Norwegian culture abroad. The exhibition presented Opsvik's approach to furniture design as a specifically Norwegian contribution to design.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
peter opsvik as competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- HAY: Danish contemporary furniture brand offering Scandinavian design at accessible price points. Comparable in Scandinavian design heritage, museum-grade product design, and designer-license relationships across home furniture.
- Vitra: Swiss family-owned design furniture company with deep ties to iconic 20th-century industrial designers (Eames, George Nelson, Verner Panton). Comparable in museum-grade design legacy, licensee-style relationships with designers, and Scandinavian/European aesthetic positioning.
- Steelcase: Global office furniture leader with a deep ergonomic seating portfolio (Gesture, Leap, Series 1). Comparable as a major manufacturer competing in the same task-chair category as Opsvik's HÅG-licensed designs.
- Cassina: Italian premium design furniture manufacturer with deep licensed-designer relationships (Le Corbusier, Gio Ponti, Charlotte Perriand). Comparable in housing iconic European designer IP and operating in the premium design-furniture segment.
- Muuto: Danish contemporary design furniture brand with rotating roster of Scandinavian designers. Comparable in Scandinavian design aesthetic, premium designer-led positioning, and museum/showcase distribution strategy.
- MillerKnoll (Herman Miller): American ergonomic office furniture pioneer behind the Aeron and Embody chairs, with designer licensing relationships across its portfolio. Comparable as a leader in task seating category where HÅG Capisco competes, and as a designer-IP-driven office furniture business.
- Knoll: American modern design furniture brand with iconic licenses (Bertoia, Saarinen, Mies van der Rohe). Comparable in housing and monetizing mid-century designer IP through licensing arrangements with manufacturers.
- Magis: Italian design furniture company known for collaborations with designers like Jasper Morrison, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec. Comparable in artist/designer licensing model and museum-collected product positioning.
- Fritz Hansen: Danish premium furniture manufacturer behind designs by Arne Jacobsen, Poul Kjærholm, and other Scandinavian masters. Directly comparable in housing iconic Scandinavian chair designs and selling premium-priced, museum-collected furniture.
Direct peers
- Humanscale: American ergonomic task chair specialist known for Freedom, Liberty, and Diffrient chairs. Directly competes with HÅG Capisco in the premium ergonomic office chair segment and shares the designer-led, ergonomic-philosophy positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
peter opsvik as social profiles
Digital presencepeter opsvik as financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
peter opsvik as leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
peter opsvik as funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
peter opsvik as M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about peter opsvik as
What does peter opsvik as do?
Peter Opsvik AS is an industrial design studio that creates and licenses ergonomic furniture designs — most notably dynamic sitting chairs and the iconic adjustable Tripp Trapp children's chair. The studio does not manufacture products; instead it licenses its designs to established furniture manufacturers worldwide (Stokke, HÅG/FLOKK, Varier, Form2, Matre, Cylindra), earning royalties on the production and sale of the resulting chairs. Its philosophy — "the best sitting posture is always the next" — drives designs that promote movement, posture variation, and freedom of movement while seated.
Is peter opsvik as a public or private company?
peter opsvik as is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was peter opsvik as founded?
peter opsvik as was founded in 1992. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is peter opsvik as based?
peter opsvik as is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does peter opsvik as make money?
One revenue line is on record: licensing Royalties.
Who are peter opsvik as's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are HAY, Vitra, Steelcase, Cassina, Muuto, MillerKnoll (Herman Miller), Knoll, Magis and Fritz Hansen. Humanscale is listed as a direct peer.
Does peter opsvik as have an API?
No public API is recorded for peter opsvik as.
What industry is peter opsvik as in?
peter opsvik as's product category is Industrial Furniture Design Licensing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAM, Industrial/Product & Furniture Design. Its NAICS code is 337 and its SIC code is 2510.