Hans Johannsson studied interior architecture and furniture design at what today is Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm from 1944 to 48. Prior to that he had worked in the family furniture company Axel Janssons Möbleringsaffär in Falun. After graduation Johansson worked as an interior architect and furniture designer in the studio of Gunnar Eklöf, where he a.o. was involved in the creation of Eklöf’s Åkerblom chairs.
In 1952 Johansson produce an armchair prototype for the 52 furniture 52 at the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg and in 1953 he left Eklöf to join the interior architectural office of NK and at the office of Sven Kai-Larsen. In 1960 Johansson founded his own studio, and from 1968 he ran the company Johansson Nordell Architectural Office together with Åke Nordell. From 1984 until his passing in 2014 he ran Hans Johansson Architectural Office.
From 1956-58 Johansson worked on the new Storfors church and in 1957 he was a part of the newly formed HI-group, consisting of cabinetmakers and furniture designers working closely together. Johansson worked for a long time with master carpenter Anders Berglund and they made the stool taburett HI-21 for the second of HI’s six exhibitions and the chair HI-76 in 1966 for the last one.
During the 1972-73 Johansson collaborated with IKEA and Interplast and from 1974-1986 he worked for the Swedish building board, designing furniture for 40 embassies and legations around the world. The first piece by Johansson to be used in this way was the armchair Paris for the Swedish embassy in Paris 1974 but was designed already in 1960 for the HI-group.
In the 1980’s Johansson began working with Karl Andersson & Söner for which he designed the mahogany and glass coffee table Tema II in 1987. For Tema II Johansson received the Excellent Swedish Design Award in the year of its release.
Johansson was represented at several major exhibitions such as the Milan Triennal in 1960, Form Fantasi at Liljevalchs Art Gallery in 1964 and the traveling exhibition 3 generations 3 furniture designers. In 2012 a retrospective of Johanssons work was shown at the Carl Malmsten Furniture Studies in Stockholm.
Furniture by Johansson is part of the collections at the Swedish National Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Furniture Studies, both in Stockholm as well as the Röhsska Museum of craft and design in Gothenburg. Hans Johansson died in 2014 at the age of 93.
