Svenskt Tenn: Another Context, in collaboration with Halleroed

Halleroed curates 'Svenskt Tenn: Another Context'

Selling Exhibition at Jackson Design

October 10, 2024 – January 18, 2025

‘Svenskt Tenn: Another Context’, designed by architects Christian and Ruxandra Halleroed, presented at Jackson Design, will build upon the already dreamlike vision of Svenskt Tenn founder Estrid Ericson and her closest colleagues into an environment bordering on the sublime.

‘If people don’t feel something they enter one of our stores, then we’ve failed.’ - Halleroed

The immersive exhibition features three rooms. The first of which showcases the sharp and rectilinear lacquered furniture, produced in the 1930s. The second room will be featuring examples of unique graphically patterned cabinets. Svenskt Tenn began with pewter and it remains at the heart of the brand today. A dedicated third room will feature an extensive selection of pewter from the 1920s onwards by designers including Estrid Ericson, Anna Petrus, Nils Fougstedt, Alef Thorwald and others. 

Open to the public from October 12 2024 till the January 18 2024, from Tuesday to Friday, 12pm to 5.30pm, Saturday, 12pm to 4pm, at Jackson Design, Sibyllegatan 53, Stockholm. 

Started in 1924, Svenskt Tenn was a vision realized through time and travel. A very cosmopolitan and modern woman, Estrid made many sojourns to France, England, Italy, Mexico and the US, bringing back to Sweden a wealth of treasures discovered while abroad. Influences from further afield including the Far East and South America were also drawn on and inspired the many Swedish architects and designers she so closely collaborated with. Although a retail boutique on paper, Svenskt Tenn is at its heart a theatre.

‘If I were a theatre director, I would retain Estrid Ericson and Josef Frank immediately.’ - Art critic Gotthard Johansson, Spring Exhibition at Svenskt Tenn, 1937

In much the same way, Halleroed creates spaces that are akin to surrealistic stage sets.

‘We wanted to show the works in a very contemporary and conceptual space, the opposite of where you usually find Svenskt Tenn furniture. We contrasted the objects with very strong textures and colors, with the goal being to find a balance between the pieces and the backdrop in order to find a new way of perceiving the brand and what it represents.’ - Halleroed

Participating in Stockholm Exhibition in 1930, and Svenskt Tenn began with sharp rectilinear lacquered furniture created by Uno Åhrén and Björn Trägårdh, whose designs will be on view in one of the three rooms of the exhibition.

‘Our own personal favorite are the glossy black objects by Björn Trägårdh and Uno Åhrén that are so extremely modern and elegant, in our eyes equal as both sculpture and furniture.’ - Halleroed

Colour exploded in Svenskt Tenn with the arrival of Josef Frank. The unique relationship between Estrid and Josef was a true symbiosis of their respective visions. Frank brought a freshness and colourful approach to Svenskt Tenn with his prismatic textiles and furniture adorned with prints of flora and fauna. The exhibition presents a room filled with examples of unique graphically patterned cabinets. These cabinets were most likely unique or special commissioned pieces.