Hygge and the Modern Interior
In the height of the winter season, we turn to the comforts of home and hearth to sustain us through the short days and dark nights. The Scandinavians have survived harsh winters for centuries by inventing the concept of hygge, the ritual of enjoying life’s simple pleasures which inspire contentment. In your interior, hygge is a way of offering comfort and joy through design to distract from an increasingly stressful world. Stair Galleries is pleased to offer a selection of Modern Scandinavian Design in our January 26th sale to help incorporate hygge into your home. Scandinavian furniture is versatile in simplicity with warm wood finishes and sensible upholstery that create a unique opportunity to seamlessly add pieces to your current collection. Our January 26th sale The Modern Interior features furniture and decorations after well regarded Scandinavian designers such as Arne Jacobsen, Jens Risom, Eero Saarinen, and Tove and Edvard Kindt-Larsen.
Arne Jacobsen was a famed Danish Architect and Designer whose designs are recognized the world over. While he was lauded as a contributor to Functionalism in architecture he is more widely regarded today for his stylish and simple chair designs exemplified in the Swan Chair (below left, LOT 4). This chair was originally designed for SAS Royal Hotel which was a international gateway to Scandinavia and the first design hotel conceived as homage to Danish craft traditions with a complimentary interior and exterior.
Jens Risom was a renowned Danish American furniture designer who was one of the first to introduce Scandinavian tastes to the United States. His early work in the US included a contribution Collier’s ‘House of Ideas’ constructed in Rockefeller Center during the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Many of his designs are in museum collections and considered modern classics exemplified by clean lines as this Oak Draw-Leaf Dining Table (Above right, LOT 6).
Eero Saarinen was born into Architecture and Design royalty and following in the foot steps of father Eliel Saarinen he studied furniture design at the noted Cranbrook Academy where the elder Saarinen taught. There he formed close relationships with fellow students such as Charles and Ray Eames and Florence Knoll. The relationship with Florence would prove vital and many of his designs were taken into production by the Knoll furniture company founded by Florence and her husband Hans. His most famous series is the ‘Tulip’ or pedestal group which features chairs, dining, coffee and side tables similar to the Enameled Metal and Elm Tulip Table (Above left, LOT 1).
Tove and Edvard Kindt-Larsen were a Danish husband and wife design duo who were known for their work in architecture, furniture design, silverware and textiles from the 1930s to 1960s. They both studied under Kaare Klint at the Royal Danish Academy. Their pieces for factory production were simple in concept and represent their fascination with contrast between textile and wood as is illustrated in this Teak Armchair with olive wool upholstery (Above right, LOT 13).
Please join us for a Friday night of refreshments, hygge and bidding January 26th and add a new element of Scandinavian Design to your Modern Interior.