Monica Förster studied at Beckmans College of Design from where she graduated in 1995, with the project Glow a universal size toilet-seat in injection moulded photo-luminiscent polypropylene that made it possible to use the bathroom during night time without having to turn on the light. After Beckmans, Förster continued at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm until 1997.
Two years later she founded Monica Förster Design Studio that has since worked with companies such as Volvo, Tecno, Alessi, Cappellini, Poltrona Frau, De Padova, Zanotta, Artifort, Erik Jørgensen, Offecct, Swedese, Georg Jensen and Rörstrand. Förster´s breakthrough as a designer came in 1999 when she received the German Design Plus Award for the silicone lamp Silikon for the Swedish brand David Design.
In 2002 she was given an honorary mention in the Excellent Swedish Design Award for the inflatable and mobile room Cloud designed for the Finnish company Snowcrash. Since then Förster has been awarded several major national and international prizes such as American Good Design Award in 2011, Guldstolen in 2015, Best of the Year Awards by Interior Design Magazine in 2020 and the Bruno Mathsson prize in 2021.
Beyond furniture, Förster has designed handbags, cutlery and a seat for an excavator. For the Bosnian manufacturer Zanat (whose woodcarving technique is a part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list) Förster has designed several pieces such as the Unna and Sana chairs that are part of the collection at the Museum for Furniture Studies.
Monica Förster's Unna chair was a part of the Female Traces exhibition at the Museum of Furniture Studies in 2019/2020.
