In the middle of the dining table in the small kitchen are freshly bought cups decorated with colorful fruits and vegetables. Time for coffee! Then the wicker TV pot appears. Around the table, people are discussing the funny ceramic girls, Dora and Charlotta, who act as bookends on the string shelf. This could be a typical everyday situation in any kitchen in the 1950s. Here, design and art were a hot topic of conversation. And it probably didn’t escape anyone’s notice that designers were increasingly focusing on people’s everyday lives.
Three iconic designers
It was during this period that two of Sweden’s largest porcelain factories, Gustavsberg and Rörstrand, would create true classics. By employing new creative talents, household porcelain for the modern kitchen would be produced. The new names that would lead the factories forward included Stig Lindberg, Lisa Larson and Marianne Westman. Their flourishing careers at the porcelain factories in the 40s, 50s and 60s have given us beloved and iconic designs.
Stig Lindberg’s hand-painted faience
Stig Lindberg came to Gustavsberg’s porcelain factory through a summer job, after his technical studies. He eventually began to collaborate with Wilhelm Kåge, who was artistic director of the Gustavsberg studio. It was a place where designers and artists could develop and have the opportunity to try out glazes, firings and production methods together. Working with earthenware became the two designers’ joint project for much of the 1940s. It resulted in several hand-painted vases, bowls and candlesticks in colorful patterns – but also an exhibition that became very popular among Stockholmers. Lindberg then took over as artistic director of the studio.
Although most of us think of green leaves when we hear the name Stig Lindberg, it is not only thanks to him that the Berså (1961) pattern was created. It was his assistant who drew the pattern on behalf of Lindberg, who then named the porcelain series. It is still one of Gustavsberg’s most beloved designs and the series has been produced again since 2005.
During his 40-year career at the factory, Lindberg produced one famous design after another: Prunus, Red Aster, Adam, Ranka and Ribb. He also worked on other assignments outside the factory, such as art objects, children’s books, textiles for NK and design for industry. He designed the little money box shaped like a Scottish terrier, Sparskotten, for Handelsbanken in 1961. And perhaps he was partly inspired by his colleague Lisa Larson?
Lisa Larson’s cats have taken the world by storm
Lisa Larson also worked in Stig Lindberg’s studio. Lindberg was one of the reasons she came to the Gustavsberg factory in the first place. After several art courses in Gothenburg, Lisa Larson entered a competition, where Lindberg was on the jury. He was immediately interested in the competition entry and offered her to work in the studio for a period. No sooner said than done. Lisa Larson moved up to Stockholm and began her new career. She worked at the porcelain factory from 1954 to 1980 and successfully developed her handmade sculptures, which mainly depict people and animals. With a little luck, you might find a favorite of your own here at Tradera.
Larson’s cat with its tail up in the air is said to be the starting point for the Little Zoo series (1955), which consists of seven small animal figures. She designed the series at the beginning of her career and later followed up with the popular Big Zoo. Larson’s animals are appreciated in many Swedish homes, but she has also become an international favorite, not least in Japan. Many people there have fallen in love with her playful design language.
The rustic, brown stoneware clay is often associated with Lisa Larson. It is a material she developed herself in her studio at Gustavsberg. Although she has found success in portraits such as Pippi Longstocking and the Gunnar Sträng money box, she has also found her expression in several everyday objects. The 1960s Astrakan dish is a fine example of this.
Who was the ‘Porcelain Mother’ Marianne Westman?
Far away from Gustavsberg, in Rörstrand’s porcelain factory, Marianne Westman started working at the age of 22. She came from a town outside Falun, and she brought with her to the factory in Lidköping a sketch of the decoration that would become her most famous signature. The idea for Mon Amie (1952) is said to have come to her one midsummer’s eve when she drew the white heather Skvattramen. The design became a true Rörstrand classic that is still in production.
At the beginning of her career, Westman dreamed of having her own pottery workshop where she could work freely. But when her teacher at Konstfack persuaded her to take a job at Rörstrand, she jumped at the chance. She worked at the factory for over 20 years and had great success with her series for the table; butter dishes, cheese cups, oven molds, carottes and serving dishes. The decor for the Frisco series was one of her first designs, as was her ever-popular and playful Picnic , inspired by garden vegetables.
In the 1970s, it wasn’t just porcelain for Marianne Westman. Instead, she started designing fabrics for Almedahls, among others. There she drew new patterns while also reusing some. Today, for example, Picnic is available as both a tray and a tea towel. She also designed the Le Chef series for the Swedish glassworks Skruf, which consists of stylish glasses, snaps, decanters and jars. If you manage to find a treasure from the series today, you can count yourself lucky – because it’s not the easiest thing to do.
