Lola A. Åkerström spotlights the latest exhibition at iconic Swedish design store, Svenskt Tenn.
Production designer Maria Djurkovic. All photos courtesy of Svenskt Tenn
Svenskt Tenn located on upscale Strandvägen remains one of Stockholm’s most exclusive and classic design companies known for brightly colored patterned fabrics, textiles, and furniture designed by Swedish-Austrian architect and designer Josef Frank.
The designs on display for sale often explore various eras – from the 1950s up until the 2000s – and Svenskt Tenn regularly collaborates with both Scandinavian as well as international designers to bring unique, intricately crafted, and high-end masterpieces to its store.
And the iconic design company’s newest collaboration is a recently launched exhibition called ‘’Three Decades’’ put together by award-winning British production designer Maria Djurkovic (pictured above).
Through this collaboration, Svenskt Tenn wanted to visually answer the question: What would a set design of a movie that takes place in the 1930s, 1950s or 1980s look like if it was created with classic furniture, textile and accessories from Svenskt Tenn?
While at first jump, Djurkovic’s name might not seem like a common household name, you probably know of her and have appreciated her work. Djurkovic’s credits includes creating the visual identity for many critically acclaimed movies such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Billy Elliot and newly released Oscar nominated movie, The Imitation Game.
The collaboration between Djurkovic and Svenskt Tenn seemed imminent because of her work on the wildy successful musical, Mamma Mia!, which featured Meryl Streep. To create the look and feel of the movie, Djurkovic borrowed colorful textile prints designed by Josef Frank from Svenskt Tenn to make the visual connection to Sweden as well as the connection to musical legends ABBA.
“I loved the Josef Frank fabrics the first time I saw them in Liberty in London, they just jump out and grab you! The immediate appeal of the design was apparent for me – the sheer joie de vivre, the bold and wonderful color,” shares Djurkovic.
For the two month long exhibition between Djurkovic and Svenskt Tenn, she was invited to design three rooms which take viewers through three specific eras. Each room feels like a uniquely crafted movie set from 1930s, 1950s and 1980s. She also used three specific textile patterns called “Rox & Fix”, “Terrazzo”, and “Tulips” designed by Josef Frank to help evoke each era and define the room’s ambiance and character.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Svenskt Tenn also released a limited edition series of trays which were designed by Maria Djurkovic and decorated with Victorian wallpaper patterns and which you can buy for SEK 340-400 depending on style.
The exhibition runs through March 29 in-store.
About Svenskt Tenn
Svenskt Tenn is a well known interior design company and a grand fixture within the Stockholm design scene with a retail store on Strandvägen and an online web shop. Since 1975, Svenskt Tenn has been owned by the Kjell and Märta Beijer Foundation which provides research grants within the fields of ecology, medicine and the preservation of Swedish interior design tradition.
