What Was The “Golden Age of Scandinavian Design?”

And how did Scandinavian Design grow into the iconic phenomenon it is today?

Few design movements are as recognisable and universal as the Scandinavian or Nordic Design movement. It finds its way into the Instagram feeds and Pinterest mood-boards of even the average aesthete who is otherwise uninitiated with interior design. Scandinavian design’s focus on minimalism, functionality, clean lines, neutral tones, high-quality materials and woods and a notable inspiration from nature have added to its universal appeal. The aesthetic has since been used (and perhaps even abused) as a catch-all marketing ploy by designers, architects and brands worldwide. All of this begs the question on how the style began and reached such prominence.

Skønvirke: Denmark’s Own Art Nouveau

At the turn of the 20th century, the Arts And Crafts and Art Nouveau movements were in vogue. The Arts And Crafts movement began post-industrialisation, favouring handmade furniture and decorations with high-quality materials highlighting the skill and expertise of craftsmen over machine made goods en masse. Following that, the Art Nouveau movement was a highly stylised movement which sought a freer form of self-expression in architecture, design, decorative arts and jewellery. Art Nouveau was especially inspired by nature, featuring floral and animal motifs, curved lines, and intricate glass and metal work. It also valued quality craftsmanship like Arts And Crafts, but wasn’t as opposed to the use of industrial age technologies as the Arts And Crafts movement was. In the United States, Art Nouveau was termed Tiffany (named after Louis Comfort Tiffany, who created the Tiffany Lamp) and in Germany it was termed Jugendstil (named after the art journal Jugend). Following Art Nouveau, the Art Deco movement gained prominence which was very opulent, as it used bright and contrasting colours, oriental ornamentation and a blend of modern and traditional materials.

Denmark’s counterpart to Art Nouveau and Jugendstil was Skønvirke. Skønvirke, literally translating to “beautiful work” or “graceful work” was a design magazine started by Danish “Selskabet for Dekorativ Kunst (Company for Decorative Arts).” Skønvirke was then used as the name of this new style of Danish arts and crafts, which gave equal importance to aesthetics and functionality. Similar to the Arts And Crafts Movement, Skønvirke too emphasised the importance of craftsmanship and quality of materials, particularly in wood. Skønvirke drew from the Art Nouveau movement in its inspiration from nature, however, unlike the Art Nouveau movement, Skønvirke preferred more restraint than Art Nouveau’s immaculate detailing. The motifs were more understated and the lines were gentle curves rather than exaggerated and fluid, with the inherent natural beauty of the materials being highlighted alongside the functionality of the object. These principles began to show across architecture, design, decorative arts, sculpture and even jewellery, such as that of Georg Jensen.

“Silver is the best material we have; gold is precious in value but not in effect. The character of silver is satisfactorily obstinate; it has to be conquered — and then it has this wonderful moonlight luster, something of the light of the Danish summer night. Silver can seem like twilight, or when it dews over, like ground mist rising.”

~Georg Jensen on his 60th birthday

Hygge: The Golden Age

Progress and urbanisation followed World War II in the Scandinavian countries, and so rural woodworkers and craftsmen brought their skill with them to the cities. As such, a school of thought prioritising natural materials, minimalist design and a focus on functionality began to solidify. The concept of “Hygge” was central to these new design principles, which speaks of coziness, warmth, slowing down and being present with your loved ones. Given the cold climate and geography of Nordic countries with minimal light during winters, particular emphasis was placed on large windows with ample space to allow in as much daylight as possible. Their approach with artificial lighting also prefers multiple lamps lighting up the space in fractions over single, large central lights. This in turn, helps foster a more inviting atmosphere. There was also a push towards democratisation, and hence the furniture was more affordable. With the Lunning Prize, created by Swedish entrepreneur Frederik Lunning, the Stockholm exhibition in Sweden and the Design Museum in Finland, new talent was acknowledged and highlighted. In 1951, the marketing of this aesthetic as “Scandinavian” was cemented by an exhibition at Heal’s Furniture Showroom in London called “Scandinavia Design For Living.” Following that, the “Design in Scandinavia Exhibition” toured the US and Canada for over three years, stopping at the Brooklyn museum in 1954, and so the fashion of “Scandinavian furniture” also caught on in America. Design Week in Helsinki, Finland is still a notable design exhibition and the concept of Hygge was trending in England and the US as recently as 2016, such as with the popular book “A Little Bit of Hygge.”

This “golden age” in the mid-20th century brought with it notable architects, designers and brands. Arne Jacobsen, a furniture designer and architect from Denmark created the “egg” chair in 1958. He also designed the SAS Hotel, which is now the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel, where he was involved in designing the furniture and even the cutlery, making it the first ever ‘Design Hotel.’ Poul Henningsen, designed his signature PH lamps. Hans J Wegner was termed the “king of chairs” as he designed many iconic chairs, such as the peacock chair, the wishbone chair and the round chair. Alvar Aalto, a finnish architect and designer created “the Aalto vase” together with his wife Aino. Finnish architect Eero Saarinen is known for the Tulip chair as well as being the mastermind behind JFK airport’s TWA flight center. Painter and textile artist Maija Isola created over 500 vibrant patterns which further developed Finland’s place in the world of Scandinavian design, and her signature Marimekko Unikko “poppy” is still found on Finnair flights. Design centres, universities and various initiatives continue to foster young talent across the Nordic countries.

A Global Phenomenon And The New Nordic Design

Scandinavian design was one of the direct influences of modern interior design, alongside the German Bauhaus movement. Similar to Scandinavian design, the early 20th century German Bauhaus movement sought to blend fine arts with functionality. Modern interior design was a direct counterpart to modern art. After a relatively quiet period, Nordic design had a resurgence in interest in the 90s, as part of a broader throwback to retro mid-century furniture and modern interior design. Danish design, particularly that of Finn Juhl, caught the attention of Japanese buyers and collectors, after buyers in the US and other European countries began to buy Danish goods again for their reasonable prices. Co-incidentally, a lot of birthdays and anniversaries of the Scandinavian design legends fell in the beginning of the 21st century, beginning with the 100th birthday of Arne Jacobsen in 2002. In commemoration, a lot of the original Scandinavian companies rolled out the original designs by the masters, and exhibitions once again celebrated the legends, all of which brought the Nordic design aesthetic back to the forefront.

Although the larger nordic design aesthetic and the well-established brands who owned the original designs benefitted greatly, the up-and-coming brands and designers were neglected during this particular resurgence. “Young designers had a tough time, because there was no work for them – old companies were reproducing retro design and the old masters,” said Danish designer Cecilie Manz. Fresh names then focused on uninitiated territory: the kitchen. With an increase in interest in Scandinavian food and the opening of the Copenhagen restaurant Noma in 2003, the birth of a ‘New Nordic Design’ took place in the ‘New Nordic Kitchen.’ Soon, architecture and design firms such as Norm architects and Space Copenhagen ventured into diverse commercial spaces, and since then, with the help of the Danish government, a ‘new Nordic’ vision is being pushed across creative fields. The Danish brand Muuto being one of the first brands to use the ‘New Nordic’ label. This has led to some friction between contemporary Scandinavian designers and the classic masters, and debate regarding how much the ‘new nordic’ design even differs from the golden age principles. Cecilie Manz says the heritage and legacy can be a ‘double edged sword.’ “We have an abundant history to consider, but it’s challenging to carve out your own niche.” With brands such as IKEA from Sweden and HAY from Denmark, a key principle being focused on now is affordability and democracy, and the idea that good design should be accessible. There is also a focus on sustainability.

Recently, the Japandi aesthetic has caught public attention. Japandi is the blend of Japanese and Scandinavian interior design. Although the term “Japandi” might be a trendy occurence, the relationship between Japan and Scandinavia goes at least 150 years back, through trade and a mutual appreciation for minimalism and tranquility. Japanese lifestyle and philosophies like ‘wabi-sabi’ and finding the perfection in imperfections enrich the “hygge” scandinavian aesthetic even more. The warmth of the Japanese neutral tones help prevent the merely Scandinavian design from feeling too cold.

The Japandi aesthetic reflects a new era of globalised sensibilities, and with Indian interior designers reinterpreting the Scandinavian or Japandi aesthetics their own way, we our only at the beginning of the possibilities in design, art and architecture that such fusions of philosophies and aesthetics can bring.

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_design
• https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-scandinavian-design-4149404
• https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-art-nouveau-architecture-5194926
• https://www.thespruce.com/art-deco-architecture-4797589
• https://www.vogue.com/article/scandinavian-style
• https://www.vogue.com/article/hygge-trend-lagom-2017
• https://encyclopedia.design/2024/09/24/skonvirke-style-danish-response-art-nouveau/
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• https://www.jckonline.com/magazine-article/scandinavian-modern-jewelry-denmark-finland/
• https://www.tomfaulkner.co.uk/the-golden-age-of-scandinavian-design/
• https://larseneriksen.com/blogs/chronicle/scandinavian-design-the-golden-age-to-hygge?srsltid=AfmBOoozWm9hDRp9o9wrI3LWWltI-p7ykoUxU0TArI5UzA6igJS1cHFG
• https://www.masterclass.com/articles/modern-design-guide
• https://larseneriksen.com/blogs/chronicle/the-long-shadow-of-scandinavian-design?srsltid=AfmBOorU-sG_bZICKgfRQPJpGStqX_50z1V7Zet8_PqGPu5PeNUMdpmP
• https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/japandi-style-101