Style to Spare --the Swedish Way

In the 1950s and ‘60s, Americans clamored for sleek Scandinavian chairs, tables and sofas in teak and monochrome fabrics. Then, like too much of a good thing, the craze faded out.

Some 30 years later, Scandinavia’s back in style. Swedish design in particular, both vintage and new, is being sought by collectors and designers alike, and L.A. and environs has its share of specialty shops.

While Volvo, Saab and Absolut Vodka have long held their own as Swedish icons, the same has not been true of home furnishings. Some speculate that the renewed interest in Swedish decor is an outgrowth of the revived taste for the simple lines of Modernism or a newfound longing for the practical comforts that such furniture provides. While too many modern designs are lovely to look at but not particularly comfortable, Swedish engineering has always combined form, function and feel, which seems to fit current tastes.

Julia Lewis, news editor for Interior Design magazine, says it seems to be Sweden’s turn right now. “There is a wonderful purism and sensitivity to material that makes Swedish contemporary design different from, for example, Italian contemporary design. They both may have sleek shapes, but in Swedish pieces there are organic materials that prevent the pieces from being cold.”

The latest crop of Swedish architects and designers--most of them in their 30s or early 40s--includes Thomas Sandell, who designed the interior of the Swedish Museum of Architecture in Stockholm, as well as the Stockholm-based Marten Claesson, Eero Koivisto & Ola Rune, who went into partnership in 1993.

Susanne Helgeson, a Stockholm-based design writer, says compared with earlier generations, the new group of designers “has a bigger international outlook in what they do.” They are, she says “well-educated communicators updated on global trends,” in touch with their European colleagues and “working more and more with foreign producers.”

Lewis credits IKEA, the Sweden-based international chain of stores specializing in affordable home furnishings, with making Swedish design visible to Americans. IKEA first opened in the U.S. in Philadelphia in 1985, and its merchandise represents the generic emphasis on natural materials and simple lines we associate with Sweden.

Company spokeswoman Janice Simonsen says IKEA’s philosophy has always been more about design than designers; however, even at IKEA, change is afoot. The company recently commissioned Sandell to design a lounge chair, which the store will offer in February. Simonsen says that commissioning Sandell is an experiment and not yet a trend for the chain.

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Locally, shops carrying Swedish furniture abound, among them the recently opened Lampa Mobler, on Beverly Boulevard, which specializes in modern Swedish furnishings; Lief, also on Beverly, which focuses on pieces from 1770 to 1850 century pieces; and Svenska Mobler on La Brea Avenue, which focuses on pieces from 1900 to 1940. The owners of all of these stores say the merchandise is enjoying an increase in popularity, from pedestrian traffic and interior designers.

Lief Aarestrup opened Lief 11 years ago, specializing in Swedish and Danish antiques. (The store carries furniture from other countries as well.) In March, a second Lief opened on North Almont Drive to cover works from pre-1770 and post-1855.

Store manager Lin Giota says that “there is a resurgence--for the last four years--because everybody’s reverting to a simpler life. More people are asking for Swedish. Designers are asking for it for their clients.” She points out that even in its Minimalism, Swedish design can offer a type of opulence. For example, during the Gustavian period (1770-1800), a light wash of paint in earth colors of light blue, gray, green and yellow was used instead of gilding. The prices of antiques vary, depending on the object. A Gustavian sideboard is priced $9,700, for example, and a Swedish Biedermeier chest from 1840 sells for $6,000.

Interior designer Mirella Forlani, head of M.B. Design Consultant in West Hollywood, likes to blend the simplicity of the Gustavian line with other antique furniture from all over the world because they mix well. “The painting is not perfect, so the antiques have a wonderful patina.”

Andrew Wilder, owner of Svenska Mobler, says he discovered “early Modernism” while living in Sweden in the early 1980s. His shop showcases antiques made from golden flame birch, elm root or rosewood. “Mine is a hybrid between traditional and contemporary, which is where I am finding my fan base. Something rich but understated.” He adds that the furniture has a lot of inlay of zebra wood or elm root, for example, which sells really well. A 1930-40 golden flame birch secretary desk with rosewood and zebra wood inlay costs $2,800; a pair of armchairs from the same period costs $3,700 for both.

Lewis says people are now looking for interesting forms and material, not necessarily the same old recognizable, iconic designs seen everywhere. “The pieces are not just sleek and simple for the sake of being sleek and simple. They are pared down to serve a very specific purpose or reason. That simplicity makes sense. It isn’t just about being minimal just for style sake.”

Swedish-born Diana Holmlund, manager of Lampa Mobler, says she has noticed progressive designs coming out of Sweden for the last 10 years. She points to an easy chair in her showroom that, she says, exemplifies the best in new Swedish design. It’s called the Bowie and was created in 1998 by Koivisto, Claesson & Rune.

The Bowie is not as flowing in its lines as the classic 1930s icon of early Swedish design, the Miranda lounge chair, designed by Bruno Mathsson. But like the Miranda, the Bowie is made of traditional bent laminated birch. The Bowie sits lower than the Miranda, and it sells for $674 with a matching footrest, for an additional $674. Upholstery comes in traditional sheepskin (black, gray or white) or cowhide.

By comparison, a new version of the classic Miranda at Lampa Mobler, with bent laminated beechwood and sheepskin, sells for $2,120, and its matching footrest--or mifot--sells for $1,130.

“That’s a must,” Holmlund says of the footrest. “That one piece you would totally know that it is from Sweden.”

You will totally know a piece of furniture, a chair or sofa, for example, is a Swedish design if nothing is sacrificed in terms of visual appeal or physical comfort.

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Candace A. Wedlan can be reached at candace.wedlan@latimes.com.