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The Golden Age of Scandinavian Design

 

Modern Scandinavian design has seen a boom in recent years, with the associated purity of form, quality of construction, and uncompromising functionality rippling through countless design-conscious homes. These are all unmistakable trademarks of an era fifty years in the past, these spindly wooden lines and sweeping glossy forms acting as time capsules for the creative acuity of a certain “Golden” generation of Scandinavian designers. We’ve collected a few of the finest examples from this period, looking to the work of eminent Danish and Finnish designers. Both countries have continued to innovate (think the Finnish Nokia phone, or Danish fashion houses like Ganni) though, when it comes to furniture and decorative objects, this mid-century period represents a standard of production that’s proven thus far uneclipsed. Perhaps a look at some of the masters will show you why…

 

Hans J. Wegner

 

 

Hans J. Wegner is one of the first names the comes to mind when discussing modern design, not just in the Danish context but on a global scale. He designed every manner of furniture; though, the chairs stand out as his most widely embraced contributions. They’re so popular that one could wager they appear in the majority of modern, design-conscious homes. Their ubiquity, however, is by no means a mark against them but rather, a testament to Wegner’s mastery over formal detail, material, and functionality.

 

 

The CH24 Wishbone Chair is Wegner’s best-known creation, and an excellent embodiment of his design ethos. It brings functionality to a space, with a form that’s simple, fluid, and comfortable. He uses natural materials, harnessing wood and paper cord to elicit a certain softness and timelessness that’s resulted in an enduring symbol of modern Danish design. It’s received contemporary updates, though the form and substance of the chair has remained the same. British designer, Ilse Crawford has remixed it in new colours, giving the piece a fresh face without disrupting its intrinsic identity. Wegner’s other designs like the CH22 Lounge Chair and FH 1936 Shell Chair aptly convey this ethos of enduringly beautifully functionality as well. Though, it’s the Wishbone that remains arguably the most popular modern Scandinavian design of today, solidifying Wegner’s canonical position in the field.

 

Maija Isola

 

 

Maija Isola started out as a painter, and remained one all her life. Her nature-inspired forms took on vibrant hues, seeping off the canvas and into textiles. She designed over 500 patterns over her career, embodying a youthful, expressive energy that was welling up within mid-century Finnish culture.

 

 

Isola’s most famous pattern, Unikko (translating to “Poppy”) is a prime example of nature as both the beginning and end of her creative process. She perceived nature as something of a divine force, which gave life to everything, including her art. In turn, she gave back to nature by translating her creations into manifestations of its forms. She must have been onto something, given the intrinsic vitality and attractive power that her prints seem to carry. They became immensely popular the world over, with everyone from Finnish teenagers to Jackie Kennedy wearing them with a smile. Her enduring influence on the Finnish cultural landscape is immortalised in everything from pillows to planes, which continue to carry her legacy to new heights.

 

 

Eero Saarinen

 

 

Eero Saarinen was born into decidedly creative conditions. His father was a renowned architect and his mother, a celebrated textile artist. By the time he was a teenager, he was combining these influences to contribute furniture designs to his father’s architectural projects, marking the beginning of his path of continuous ideation and iteration. His curiosity for form led him from his native Finland to Paris where he studied sculpture before relocating to the US to pursue architecture at Yale. This ongoing cross-pollination of disciplines gave him a holistic view of design, leading him to produce both great works of architecture and furniture.

 

 

Saarinen is remembered for his sculptural approach to design, driven by a near obsession with revision. He would create hundreds of models, continuing to explore form until he recognised the harmony of the perfect curve, ideal lines, and balanced proportions. The element of the curve is what distinguishes his most widely recognised designs, like those of the Tulip collection. The pedestaled tables and chairs sprout up from the ground on elegantly tapered bases, which plume outward to support rounded tabletops and seats. He used modern, innovative materials to achieve a clean and futuristic effect, while simultaneously eliciting ties to natural forms. Thanks to this careful combination of form, proportion, and materiality, there’s a universally pleasing aesthetic to his work that transcends temporal trends.

 

 

Aino & Alvar Aalto

 

 

Alvar Aalto was a man of many talents who produced works of architecture, furniture, textiles, and glassware. He was, by his own description, an architect, first and foremost, shrugging off attributions of artistry by proposing that painting and sculpture are “branches of a tree whose trunk is architecture”. His architectural intrigue led him to Helsinki University of Technology, where he met a talented young designer named Aino Marsio, who proved to be the perfect partner in creativity and ultimately, in life. The two were married and thus began a joint creative practice that would produce some of the most influential Finnish designs of the century. Together they established design studio, Artek in 1935, which remains a force in the industry today.

 

 

Both Aaltos were a masters of functionalism, favouring simple, reductive forms to decoratively adorned designs. The Aalto Stool 60 is a great example of their pared-back approach. It brings four precisely formed pieces of wood together into three legs and a rounded seat. It’s simple, it’s beautiful, and most importantly, it works.

 

 

There’s a curvaceous quality to much of the Aaltos’ work. The rounded, gradually bent elements of the Aalto Stool are a good example, as is the meandering form of the Aalto Vase, inspired by the shapes of Finland’s many lakes. So, this sometimes spartan, always functional approach to design doesn’t have to be soulless or harsh. The Aalto’s have proven that to us, working together to infuse meaning and character into everyday touchpoints through great design.

 

Verner Panton

 

 

Verner Panton stands out against other stalwarts of modern Danish design. He was considered something of an enfant terrible, shirking the more muted modes of other designers for his own exuberant ideas. He injected colour into the conversation, along with amorphous, psychedelic patterns and modern materials that seemed to radiate and reflect energy. Where Hans J. Wegner may opt for artfully integrated ash wood and paper cord, Panton springs for glossy plastic and cast it in blaring red for good measure.

 

 

This mentality led to iconic designs like the Panton Chair and the Panthella Lamp. Both were forged in new materials with an industrial bent. Contrary to many other modern Scandinavian makers who were focused more on traditions of craft and natural provenance, Panton sought to produce shiny, new toys with fun built into them. Some of his creations like the Living Tower had the look of a jungle gym, designed to be climbed and explored, exemplifying his dualistic character of light-hearted creativity and serious innovation.

 

 

Panton also designed entire interiors, though he called them “environments”. The distinction is, truthfully, necessary. These were more akin to fantastical forests of technicoloured mushrooms than they were to any living room. This pioneering spirit, fuelled by a joyfully rebellious streak, is what left Panton’s indelible mark on the modern Scandinavian tradition.

 

 

 

Text by Annabel Colterjohn