Gloster Storage Chest

Povl Eskildsen's connection to furniture began early, in his father's furniture factory, where a genuine, practical interest in how things are made first took hold. He went on to study furniture design at the School of Architecture in Aarhus, Denmark, graduating in 1986, and has spent the decades since turning a deep understanding of construction and comfort into quietly enduring outdoor design.

His relationship with Gloster started at a Copenhagen furniture fair in 1992, where he presented the Weston Folding Chair. It stood apart from the folding chairs of its day, with built in lumbar support and a rethought folding action that kept the front of the seat visible when closed and added a simple integrated handle for folding and carrying. Weston's success led to the Madison collection in 1995, an early step toward the low, lounge style seating Gloster is known for today and a design that earned an award from the British Furniture Industry in 1996. The same period brought Kingston, one of the first genuinely comfortable outdoor teak dining chairs, conceived as a light armchair that saved teak while remaining easy to move around.

Working in a design language rooted in classic Scandinavian principles with a contemporary edge, Povl has since created many collections for Gloster across teak and mixed materials. His ability to build exceptional comfort into a piece without softening its visual clarity sets his work apart, and collections such as Dansk, Maze, and Havana have carried that legacy forward.