Thomas Sandell was born in Finland in 1959 and studied architecture in Stockholm. Since 1985 he has worked for Professor Jan Henriksson's architecture studio, developing various projects like the building for the national bank in Örebro, a meeting room for Volvo and the royal library in Sweden. Since 1989 he started to work independently making various projects (restaurants, villas, shops and offices). He designed some collections for IKEA and various pieces of furniture, including the "Panik" cupboard, for many international companies.