Inventive and in demand: Swedish glass design

Scandinavian Review, Winter 1996 by Long, Christopher

But Orrefors was not the only glassworks turning out new and inventive designs. A number of other Swedish factories also made fine glass during this period, among them Eda, Elme, Gullaskruf, Kosta, and Limmared. As Kosta Glasshouse, for example, there were a number of talented designers working during the 1920s and 1930s, among them Elis Bergh (1881-1954) and Sven Erik Skawonius (1908-1981). Their creations included not only large and elaborate engraved pieces, but also less expensive blown glass objects sporting the simple, purist lines that became increasingly popular after the 1930 Stockholm exhibition introduced functionalism to Sweden. Other pioneers in the field included Edvard Stromberg (1872-1946) and his wife Gerda Stromberg (18791960). Stromberg began his career at Kosta, worked for a time for Orrefors, and moved with his wife to Eda in 1928. In 1933, they founded their own glass studio, Strombergshyttan, in Smaland, developing a reputation for extremely simple but very high quality bowls and vases.

The years since the Second World War have seen a decided shift in Swedish glass design. The emphasis on pure, regular forms, and crisp, elaborate engraving that had characterized the design work of the prewar generation has increasingly given way to a new interest in abstract forms and free-form compositions. This was already evident in the works of early post-war designers like Ingeborg Lundin (b.1921), who joined Orrefors in 1947, and Erik Hogland (b.1932), who began working at the Boda factory in 1953, and has become even more pronounced in recent years. The new emphasis on abstraction-and the fact that so many Swedish designers are now strongly influenced by international design currents-has led to a certain blurring of national lines, with the result that some of the distinctive quality of earlier Swedish design has been lost. However, most of the larger glass makers, including Orrefors and Kosta Boda, continue to produce some of the older "classic" designs, which still remain very much in demand around the world.

Christopher Long is a cultural and architectural historian based in Austin. He is currently at work on a book on the life and work of the architect and designer Josef Frank.