When Swedish Social Democrats began drafting plans for a welfare state at the end of the 1920s, it included an idea that still feels quite radical: Every Swede would have five weeks of vacation a year, and they could even apply for a government-supplied allotment, a.k.a., a vacation cottage. For the department store Nordiska Kompaniet, where Axel Einar Hjorth served as chief architect, this signaled opportunity. People would be needing new furniture.
“Swedes were encouraged to live a healthy, athletic lifestyle, and, as a result, Sportstugemöbler, or sports furniture—pieces designed specifically for small vacation houses, cottages, or cabins—was born,” explains Kim Hostler, of the New York gallery Hostler Burrows, which specializes in Scandinavian design. She’s referring to the 1929 collection of rustic pine chairs, tables, and more that soon shipped…
You're reading a preview of
Architectural Digest (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025