Miguel Milá: making what was missing
Born in Barcelona in 1931, Miguel Milá began working in interiors with his brother Alfonso Milá and the architect Federico Correa. Finding suitable furnishings in postwar Spain was difficult, so he began making his own lamps and furniture. That practical beginning ran through his work: familiar materials, visible construction and details that are easy to understand.
Milá helped establish the company Tramo to produce his early designs. He continued to refine everyday objects throughout his career, working until late in life. He died in 2024.
TMM, 1961
The TMM reduces a floor lamp to a wooden cross base, an upright and a cylindrical shade. The stem changes from a square section near the base to a round section above. A rubber ring holds the shade at the chosen height, allowing it to move up or down without a complicated adjustment mechanism. Pulling the cable operates the light.
Milá designed the TMM in 1961; Santa & Cole reissued it in 1986. Those dates describe two different moments in its history. Its appeal is in the small decisions: the stable footprint, the lightness of the shade and the way its height can change beside a chair.
Mats Theselius: between furniture and sculpture
Mats Theselius was born in Stockholm in 1956 and studied interior architecture and furniture design at Konstfack from 1979 to 1984. His work moves between furniture, objects and art, often bringing materials together in unexpected ways.
In his chairs, the outer structure can be as striking as the seat. Metal, leather and wood each keep their own character. Älgskinnsfåtöljen is a particularly clear example: the upholstery looks soft and deep, while the surrounding shell has the directness of an industrial object.
Älgskinnsfåtöljen, first shown in 1985
Theselius first presented Älgskinnsfåtöljen at the Bo-85 housing exhibition in Upplands Väsby. Källemo produced the 1991 edition in 360 numbered examples. The chair combines moose-leather upholstery, etched sheet metal and stained beech armrests.
The name refers to its moose leather. Look at the rounded metal enclosure, then the leather rising from it and the wooden rests laid across the arms. The contrast does most of the work. Seen as a pair, the repeated curved shells make the construction especially easy to read.
The reading shelf
Keep exploring the design story.
Two references for looking more closely at lighting and object design. These are companion books, not substitutes for the original furniture.
Charlotte & Peter Fiell · TASCHEN · hardcover
A chronological collection of lighting design, useful for comparing shades, bases and silhouettes.
Before you choose Choose the multilingual Bibliotheca Universalis edition; check the format and seller.
Phaidon Editors · Phaidon · hardcover
A broad visual reference that puts furniture, lighting and everyday objects in the same design history.
Before you choose A large-format reference book. Check the 2022 English-language edition and its dimensions.
Sources & editorial notes
Miguel Milá: biography · Checked 2026-09-12Santa & Cole: TMM technical information · Checked 2026-09-12Möbeldesignmuseum: Mats Theselius · Checked 2026-09-12Auctionet: Älgskinnsfåtöljen, Källemo 1991 · Checked 2026-09-12Practical suggestions are editorial judgments; adapt them to your needs. No personal product testing is claimed.
