Scandinavian
design
history of scandinavian design
In the aftermath of World War II, designers
from each region seemed to answer the call
of modernity and innovation with a unique
voice. The Postwar Scandinavian movement,
though kindred in spirit with the other design
advances around the world, adapted the emerging
technologies and materials in a uniquely Northern
European fashion.
The wood used was light in color, and the
support structure was often exposed which
added dramatically to the elegance of the
pieces. Though machine production was in vogue,
the Scandinavians were espousing finished
edges, curved corners, and an overall smoothness
in their design language.
The 1949 Chair by
Hans Wegner is a typical example; its delicately
turned legs and gently sloping backrest were
fabricated from teak and oak respectively,
and united with the woven seat to create a
simple and sensuous mass-production piece.
At some point the designs became less "crafty"-looking
and more machinic. The designers from Denmark,
Sweden, and Finland managed to commingle biomorphism
with harder-edged geometric tendencies, with
a flavor at once modern and Scandinavian.
They did not shy away from newer plastics
and embraced the design and manufacturing
possibilities wholeheartedly.
The Verner Panton
Stacking Chair of the 1960s was the first
single-molded fiberglass chair produced and
contains delicate references to the curves
of the Art Nouveau period while mimicking
the overall rhythm of Rietveld’s severely
geometric ZigZag Chair.
related
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links:
www.scandinaviandesign.com
