Journal #29
Surprising Scandinavian design
As J Craft develops a range of innovative furniture with Danish designer Johannes Torpe, which will launch later in the year, we look at six designers who, while epitomising the region’s reputation for craftsmanship and elegance, also show how there is so much more to the “Scandi” aesthetic than quiet minimalism
Words by: Jonathan Bell
Many people have a preconceived idea of a universal Scandinavian design aesthetic. For decades, “Scandi” has served as a shortcut for a certain kind of modernism, an approach that softens the hard edges created by concrete, steel and glass in favour of a more human scale and warmth. Wood and brick, curves and craft, handmade instead of mass-produced; these are the clichés of the Scandi form. There is undeniably some truth to this; the work of prolific mid-century architects and designers like Arne Jacobsen, Alvar Aalto, Georg Jensen, Hans J. Wegner, Poul Henningsen and Greta Magnusson Grossman, among many others, established the tenets of “Scandi” design. Their influence is still felt everywhere from tech (Bang & Olufsen) to mass consumption (Ikea).
Yet Scandinavian design isn’t the homogenous, catch-all genre that the “Scandi” appellation implies. Over the generations, many of the region’s creatives have parlayed this respect for form, materials, function and longevity into products and spaces that offer a surprising twist to the accepted narrative. J Craft is one such company. Established in Gotland in 1999, the company’s aesthetic skews towards the glamourous Mediterranean style pioneered by Italy’s most iconic boatbuilders, bringing craftsmanship, design rigour and pure function to these Riviera-ready crafts.
The company is sometimes described as being the “lovechild” of Riva and heritage American wooden boat manufacturers Hacker Craft and Chris-Craft Boats. But J Craft’s spirit is distinctly Scandinavian. Even the fine details of its Torpedo boats showcase Scandi design royalty, including glassware by Finnish brand Iittala and premium silverware from leading Swedish maker Gense in a collection designed by Prince Carl Philip Bernadotte, whose father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, purchased the very first J Craft 25 years ago.
Here are six more examples of pioneering Scandinavian designers and brands who don’t follow the unwritten aesthetic rules, yet still epitomise the region’s acclaimed design approach.
Pelle Petterson
In the late 1950s, having studied industrial design at the Pratt Institute in New York, the Swedish industrial designer Pelle Petterson went to work for the Italian master coachbuilder Pietro Frua. Although the young Petterson’s passion was for boats and sailing (in fact, many years ago he worked with J Craft CTO Johan Hallén in Gotland when developing Nimbus Boats), while at Frua’s Turin studio he worked on a commission from a famous Swedish manufacturer – Volvo. At the time, Volvo was planning to launch a new sporting coupe, the P1800, and decided to commission the design from an Italian studio, the fashionable heart of contemporary automotive style. None other than Helmer Petterson, Pelle’s father (a consultant who had overseen the 1940s Volvo PV444), was judging the results and of the four submitted designs, the younger Petterson’s was selected. Ironically, while hoping for the automotive equivalent of a sharp Italian suit, Volvo ended up with a thoroughly Swedish design, albeit one that marked an aesthetic departure from its lineup and is still considered one of the most beautiful cars the company ever built.
Teenage Engineering
Teenage Engineering is that rarest of companies, a creator of cult objects that is also a global commercial success. Founded in 2005 by Jens Rudberg, David Eriksson and Jesper Kouthoofd (the latter had previously been involved in the fashion brand Acne), the nascent electronics firm grew out of a computer games company. Its first product was the OP-1 synthesiser, a compact but hugely flexible device that combined a vintage-electronics aesthetic with a thoroughly modern interface and abilities. Over the years, the Stockholm-based company has gone on to design everything from desks to samplers, games consoles to ultra-compact recording devices and a vast range of “Pocket Operators”, tiny synth modules inspired by old-school Nintendo games. Swedish to its very core, the TE aesthetic has proved hugely influential for music makers and other manufacturers alike.
Vola
Few other manufacturers can lay claim to being as foundational to Scandinavian culture as Vola. The Danish specialist in all things sanitaryware transcended the banality of its niche by beginning with a series of designs by the architect Arne Jacobsen, originally intended for the latter’s final project, the 1968 Danmarks Nationalbank. Jacobsen’s precise geometric approach and appreciation of modular, endlessly variable components, have made Vola the architects’ favourite ever since, aided by a consistent commitment to craftsmanship, environmental performance and durability. These days, the range runs from humble taps to mighty showerheads and all things in between, with a huge variety of custom colours and finishes that will accommodate any project. Best of all, Vola products will never go out of style.
Torgny Fjeldskaar
The Scandinavian passion for two-wheeled travel is epitomised by the ongoing career of Norwegian industrial designer Torgny Fjeldskaar. The trained automotive designer switched to bikes after a stint working for Mazda, when he joined the legendary manufacturer Cannondale, eventually becoming its head of industrial design. Fjeldskaar subsequently worked at Swiss innovator BMC, where he was able to combine knowledge of new materials and processes with a talent for shaping elegant structural frames. His concept designs for Cannondale and high-performance road bikes like the BMC Teammachine have helped reshape the entire industry’s attitude to industrial design, influencing hundreds of startups, especially in the e-bike arena.
Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
Ikea may be Sweden’s most famous furniture export but those in-the-know flock to Stockholm’s homeware haven Svenskt Tenn, a design stalwart since 1924 when it was opened by enterprising art teacher Estrid Ericson. A decade later, she brought in Austrian architect and designer Josef Frank (later a Swedish citizen) to the company, who would create Svenskt Tenn’s hero product: the Sofa 3031. Unlike the functional, minimalist furnishings associated with Scandinavia, Frank’s five-seater sofa was upholstered in a rainbow-coloured Anakreon print inspired by a 3,500-year-old fresco from the palace of Knossos, Greece. Far from beige minimalism, Frank was a proponent of a more colourful, expressive style who famously stated that ‘standardised interiors would make people all too uniform’.
Johannes Torpe
It doesn’t get more surprising than Johannes Torpe. As the Danish designer admits, he had an unconventional upbringing with a pencil in one hand and drumstick in the other. At the age of 15, Torpe built his first stage light design company before designing and investing in his first interior design project: the private members’ club, Nasa Nightclub. Founding Johannes Torpe Studios in 1997, the company has a diverse portfolio – from architectural reimaginings and interior design to inspired products. Advocates for undisciplined creativity, the studio’s clients include Bang & Olufsen, of which Torpe was chief creative officer, Nike and Dolce & Gabbana. With a playful multi-disciplinary approach, Torpe’s designs are daring, incorporating natural materials, metallic accents and surprising shapes.
For fans of J Craft there is exciting news. Johannes Torpe is, as we speak, working on a project with the boatmaker to create pieces of furniture inspired by the J Craft Torpedo. Watch this space.
Jonathan Bell is transport & technology editor at Wallpaper* magazine and has written about architecture and design for Blueprint and Grafik. He hosts Found: Objects With Meaning, the debut podcast series from Wallpaper*, and is co-editor of Things Magazine