Set of Four Nordiska Kompaniet Dining Chairs in Pine, Sweden 1909
Set of Four Nordiska Kompaniet Dining Chairs in Pine, Sweden 1909
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Price category: 2,500 - 5,000 usd / eur
Featuring clean forms without exaggeration, this set highlights the quality of work produced at Nordiska Kompaniet in the early 20th century. They are crafted from pine - a valuable material used in furniture manufacturing thanks its natural grain that guarantees that each piece is unique. This characteristic is especially important in the case of this set of four, as each chair is unique, but together they still form a gorgeous set.
Humble in their material and design, the chairs draw attention thanks to their distinctive look and personality. The construction strips back the unnecessary, showcasing only essential elements. The pine wood is left in its natural form as much as possible, while also prioritising functionality and longevity. Pine furniture has been favoured in Scandinavia for centuries and we are witnessing a contemporary renewal of interest and appreciation for it as well. While they showcase deliberate plainness, these chairs still have a welcoming look. The sole form of ornamentation in the design is found in the backrests of each chair where two planks of wood are constructed into a ‘T’ shape, creating an airy look. The high backs and seats also provide plenty of surface to expose the beauty of the wood. Furthermore, the ingenious use of joinery in these chairs is noteworthy, highlighting the structural integrity of the pieces.
These chairs are in line with the Swedish ideals of functional furniture. However, they also portray a sense of tranquillity that is unique to Scandinavia. This set is sure to bring this sense to any space while providing stability, sitting comfort, and natural beauty via its material.
Condition:
In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. Some marks and cracks on the wood.
Dimensions:
Pair with arms:
19.48 in W x 20.07 in D x 36.02 in H; Seat height 16.73 in; Seat depth 17.51 in; Arm height 26.77 in
49.5 cm W x 51 cm D x 91.5 cm H; Seat height 42.5 cm; Seat depth 44.5 cm; Arm height 68 cm
Pair without arms:
16.73 in W x 16.92 in D x 36.02 in H; Seat height 16.73 in; Seat depth 14.56 in
42.5 cm W x 43 cm D x 91.5 cm H; Seat height 42.5 cm; Seat depth 37 cm
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Price category: 2,500 - 5,000 usd / eur
Swedish architect and furniture designer Axel Einar Hjorth served as the lead designer for Sweden’s Nordiska Kompaniet department store from 1926 to 1938. During this time, Hjorth designed the “Sportstugemöbler” series (which translates to “sports cabin furnishings”), a collection of wooden furniture designed for country homes. The various models in the sportstugemöbler series took their names from the Stockholm archipelago – including Blidö, Lovö, and famously, Utö.
The ‘Utö’ chair was designed in 1932 as part of the collection. Unlike the department store's interiors for floors and villas in the cities, the ‘Utö’ design had a simple character with robust and minimalist basic shapes in solid pine. Accordingly, the design of this chair focuses on clean lines and the material itself. Made of pine wood, the chair is strong, reflecting Hjorth’s principles according to which he mixed the ideals of the modernist movement with provincial Swedish traditions, producing a unique and primitive modernism. It demonstrates a conscious construction aesthetic, where the joinery and fittings related to traditional craftsmanship are emphasized. Dominated by rounded, yet defined lines, the chair has a spindle backrest and ergonomically carved seat. The design eludes harmony and stability, fitting the summer cabin concept perfectly.
Hjorth's aesthetic alludes to both the traditional simplicity of the common people and the radical aesthetics of international modernism. The ‘sports cottage furniture’ that this dining chair is part of also had an influence on the designer’s contemporaries and inspired Carl Malmsten, among others. In an international perspective, Hjorth's “sportstugemöbler” series was the forerunner of later pioneering designers such as Charlotte Perriand. It is therefore no surprise that the ‘Utö’ chari became part of Swedish and international modernist design history. In their time, the pieces of the Utö collection may have appeared as pioneering and radical, but today they are viewed as status symbols in interiors of international character.
Condition:
In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. Some marks and stains on the wood.
Dimensions:
18.89 in W x 18.3 in D x 31.49 in H; Seat height 16.92 in
48 cm W x 46.5 cm D x 80 cm H; Seat height 43 cm
Literature:
Christian Bjork, Thomas Ekstrom and Eric Ericson, 'Axel Einar Hjorth: Mobelarkitekt', Stockholm, 2009, p.130
About the designer:
Axel Einar Hjorthwas born in a small Swedish village named Krokek, just outside Norrköping, on March 7, 1888. At the age of 20, he moved to Stockholm to study architecture and design at the Högre Konstindustriella Skolan.
Although he never graduated, in the 1920s Hjorth started working as a furniture designer for various manufacturers, such as H. Joop & Co., Myrestedt & Stern, Jonssons, and Nordiska Kompaniet. Hjorth’s designs from this period had neoclassical features combined with Swedish Grace. This romantic national style of Sweden was elegant and refined, yet simple. The anniversary exhibition of 1923 in Gothenburg marked the breakthrough of Swedish decorative arts, and made Axel Einar Hjorth a well-respected artist. From October 1926, Hjorth became the chief designer and architect of Nordiska Kompaniet department store in Stockholm. In the 1930s, Hjorth designed a furniture collection out of pine meant for serial production known as Sportstugemöbler (furniture for holiday houses).
Hjorth’s designs, from the luxury of neoclassicism to the severity of functionalism, are sharply distinctive in style, materials, and character. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Hjorth did not conform to the socially oriented ideas produced by Svensk Form (the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design). He played a significant role in the development of Swedish society as a whole, and particularly in Swedish industrial art
Today Hjorth is often viewed as a precursor to the modern designs popularized by Charlotte Perriand, Jean Royére, Pierre Chapo, or Josef Frank. Recently, there has been a revival of appreciation for his work, showing his genius in a new light.