How to bring our design heritage into the future.
How to bring Swedish design heritage into the future.
During Stockholm Design Days in early February, Jonatan Jahn, Head of Collections at the Museum of Furniture Studies, took part in a panel discussion about the Swedish design heritage – and how to bring it into the future.
As the museum prepares for its opening in Älmhult early 2027, Jonatan reflects on that legacy and the importance of building strong ties between graduating design students and the industry.
"It will be a new kind of museum, he explains, where designers, students and producers can all come together."
Another important aspect of the museum is that visitors will be able to touch and study the design objects up close. This way, students may gain a greater understanding of the nuts and bolts of design – quite literally.
Meanwhile, the museum’s already imposing collection will grow to include objects by less well-known designers.
"We need to tell new stories about Swedish design, Jonatan says. There are so many designers who worked outside the mainstream that are more or less forgotten today. By bringing their works into the museum, we can offer new perspectives and help young designer forge their path forward."
Who are some of these forgotten designers?
"I am personally very fond of Margareta Köhler, who ran the design studio Futurum in Stockholm together with Marie-Louise Idestam-Blomberg in the early 1930s. They created amazingfurniture in a typical ”Swedish modernist style”. Another obvious example is Axel Einar Hjorth, whose pine furniture has gained a lot of attention internationally recently, but is hardly mentioned in history books."
As Jonatan says, learning from the past can lead to new and innovative approaches in the future:
"We need to be more proud of our design legacy, and be more confident moving forward. There are so many untold stories we can tell."
