Sculptural receptacles, Matti Klenell, 2005. Photo: Pål Allan

Recent years have given us severe purity of style, cheerfully humorous kitsch, and the movingly figurative: Ingegerd Råman's black bowls and urns, Per B Sundberg’s lamps and Matti Klenell’s receptacles provide three examples of the diversity of Swedish glass.

Swedish glass is celebrating triumphs of design despite perennial rumours of economic doom. It is bubbling with vitality, not only at the big-name glassworks, but also in the studios of individual glass artists.


Crystal lamp, Per B Sundberg, Orrefors, 2003. Photo: Per Larsson

Sweden's Kingdom of Glass in transition

The Kingdom of Glass forms a small part of south-eastern Sweden between the towns of Växjö and Kalmar in the province of Småland. For more than a century, this is where practically all industrial production of Swedish glass has taken place. In recent years, like so many other industries, the Kingdom of Glass has been shaken by restructuring. Just under a year ago, the Swedish government decided to do more to boost the future of Swedish glass, both during and after Sweden's Year of Design 2005, in the form of a special marketing effort.

The major players in Swedish glass

The most important player on the Swedish glass scene is Orrefors Kosta Boda, a company comprising four glassworks – Orrefors, Kosta, Boda and Åfors. Its leading designs are displayed under the brands of Orrefors and Kosta Boda. Both have design teams of around ten designers. Orrefors focuses on clear crystal while Kosta Boda mainly works with coloured glass.


From Ingegerd Råman's latest glass collection, “Night and Day”, Orrefors, 2005.

Both Ingegerd Råman and Per B Sundberg work for Orrefors. With their different temperaments and modes of expression they enrich the public's perception of what Orrefors can do. The youngest of the Orrefors designers is Malin Lindahl, whose debut in the autumn of 2003 made a powerful impact. She revived the traditional techniques of engraving and deep blasting, and gave them a modern content. The delicacy of her glass makes a fine addition to Orrefors' line of products.


Vase decorated in folklore style, “Siljan”. Malin Lindahl, Orrefors., 2004. Photo: Roland Persson

Glass – luxury or utility?

Art glass is an important image generator for Swedish design. But mass-produced table glass has also made a significant contribution to both the Swedish image abroad and the way the Swedes see themselves at home. Bertil Vallien's well-known “Chateau” wine-glasses sell as well today as they did when they were originally produced in 1981. And Erika Lagerbielke's research into the way the shape of a wine-glass influences taste perception has attracted the interest of ordinary consumers as well as wine-tasters.

Reaching a broad public is imperative if the glassworks are to survive. For this reason both Orrefors and Kosta Boda have recently been moving towards the more utility-oriented end of the design spectrum. In February Kosta Boda put on the exhibition Living with Kosta Boda, which with its charming and unpretentiously didactic approach demonstrated that you don’t need luxury settings to enjoy glass. Among the important new works shown, Ulrika Hydman Vallien's “Mine” stood out and has already become a hit. To sum up – everyday luxury minus the extravagance.


Tumbler, “Mine”, Ulrika Hydman-Vallien, Kosta Boda, 2004. Photo: Rolf Hörlin

At the start of the year Orrefors also launched a new design concept with the goal of moving glass away from formal display into everyday life. The first offerings were the “Mingle” range of bowls in three sizes and four colours, designed by Lena Bergström. These bowls are produced using a centrifugal technique – the same technique used by designer Sven Palmqvist for his well-known “Fuga” bowls in the 1950s.


Bowls, “Mingle”, Lena Bergström, Orrefors Home Collection. 2005. Photo: Roland Persson

Small-scale glass production

If it is to develop further, Swedish glass design needs its dozen or so small glassworks like Skruf, Bergdala, Lindshammar. These small producers are admittedly in no position to offer designers secure employment, but some of them let individual designers rent their facilities by the hour and offer the help of experienced glass blowers. That is what Fredrika Linder did. She is one of a number of talented young glass artists struggling to make a living from her craft.


Vase, cane technique, Fredrika Linder, 2004. Photo: Sara Danielsson / NATIONALMUSEUM

For Matti Klenell, glass has given his imagination a welcome break from more humdrum furniture design work. Some of his glass is produced at the small Sea glassworks, and some at his parents' workshop in Sunne in the province of Värmland.

Elisabeth Henriksson and Paul Grähs, who graduated from the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design (Konstfack) in 2004, are glass designers and recent winners of glass scholarships. They have just built their own glass-blowing studio in Arboga in central Sweden, where they will be making both utility wares and art glass.


Glass sculpture, Elisabeth Henriksson. Photo: Hans Thorwid / NATIONALMUSEUM

Ulla Forsell is the “grand old lady” of individual glass designers working in their own studios. Her flowery glass dishes, highly coloured drinking glasses and rose-rich glass sculptures often seem to possess a humorous and exhilarating aura.


Flowery dish, Ulla Forsell, 2004. Photo: Nisse Petersson

What does the future hold for Swedish glass?

The future of Swedish glass is not just a question of fighting off competition from the flood of cheap imported glass. It is also about future sales channels, and the possibility of reaching all potential buyers. Small-scale producers usually present their glass at exhibitions and sell it in craft boutiques that ar often run on non-commercial lines. The larger glassworks are affected by the restructuring taking place in the Swedish retail sector.

The most important thing, however, is to preserve the basics. Glass design cannot flourish without highly skilled craftsmanship. To turn their design concepts into reality, glass designers work alongside experienced glass-workers. It is quite simply impossible to overestimate the importance of craftmanship. No Kingdom – no glass.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lotta Jonson is editor-in-chief of Form, Scandinavia’s biggest design magazine

The author alone is responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.

Translation: Hugh Rodwell

© Photos:
Photo 1: Pål Allan
Photo 2: Per Larsson
Photo 3: Orrefors
Photo 4: Roland Persson
Photo 5: Sara Danielsson / NATIONALMUSEUM
Photo 6: Hans Thorwid
Photo 7: Nisse Petersson

Classification: A101ENa