Estrid Ericson (1894 – 1981) Swedish designer and entrepreneur

Advertisements
Svenskt Interior Design
Svenskt Interior Design

Estrid Ericson, a pewter designer and design entrepreneur, founded Svenskt Tenn, a highly influential Stockholm store and manufacturer closely associated with the Swedish Modern aesthetic and export success.

Education

She studied art and crafts at Stockholm University from 1913 to 1915, and after working at Svensk Hemslöjd and Willman and Wiklund, she founded Svenskt Tenn in 1924 with pewter designer Nils Fougstedt.

Biography

She participated in several exhibitions in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Zurich, New York, Copenhagen, and Barcelona to boost its reputation in the following years. Its most notable success came in 1925 at the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels, where Ericson was awarded a Gold Medal. 

Estrid Erikson photograph
Estrid Erikson photograph

She met émigré Austrian designer Josef Frank in 1932, and two years later, he joined Svenskt Tenn and became a defining force in the company’s design outlook.

Ericson and Frank’s work was exhibited in Sweden and overseas, including the Paris Exposition des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne 1937, the New York World’s Fair of 1939–40, and the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco in 1939, all of which received critical acclaim. In the years following WWII, the company prospered even more. Ericson sold it to the Kjell and Marta Beijer Foundation in 1975 when she was 81, but she remained in charge for another four years before handing it over to Ann Wall. She kept designing until she died in 1981, when she left her estate to a foundation that bears her name.

Sources

Woodham, J. M. (2006). A dictionary of modern design. Oxford University Press.

More on Swedish Designers

  • Louise Nathalie Adelborg: Maestro in Porcelain and Textile Design

    Louise Nathalie Adelborg: Maestro in Porcelain and Textile Design

    Louise Adelborg, a member of Sweden’s noble Adelborg family, made significant contributions to the world of design. Best known for her enduring porcelain and textile artistry, her work, particularly the ‘Swedish Grace’ design, continues to inspire globally. Her legacy is preserved in Stockholm’s National Museum.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Einar Forseth: Craft and Culture in Stained Glass and Mosaics

    Einar Forseth: Craft and Culture in Stained Glass and Mosaics

    Einar Forseth, born in 1892, significantly influenced 20th century decorative and applied arts with a legacy spanning stained glass, mosaics, and postage stamps. His key works include the mosaics in Stockholm City Hall’s Golden Room and diverse contributions to Coventry Cathedral. Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Ulla Forsell (b.1944), Swedish Glassware Designer

    Ulla Forsell (b.1944), Swedish Glassware Designer

    Ulla Forsell was born in 1944 and studied at the College of Art and Design in Stockholm and Holland. SheRead More →


    Learn More →


  • Praktika Tableware (1933) designed by Wilhelm Käge

    Praktika Tableware (1933) designed by Wilhelm Käge

    Praktika Tableware (1933) designed by Wilhelm Käge. White earthenware stacking dishes, oval with rounded sides.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • IKEA Dragon 20-Piece Flatware Set, Stainless Steel

    IKEA Dragon 20-Piece Flatware Set, Stainless Steel

    IKEA Dragon 20-Piece Flatware Set, Stainless Steel designed by Carl-Gustaf Jahnsson DRAGON flatware has been part of the Ikea rangeRead More →


    Learn More →


  • A & E Design a Swedish Design Consultancy

    A & E Design a Swedish Design Consultancy

    A & E Design a Swedish design consultancy was founded in Stockholm by Tom Ahlström and Hans Ehrich (1942–). They worked in Italy earlier in the 1960s. The company has gained a reputation for functional, durable and ergonomically sound everyday products.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Estrid Ericson (1894 – 1981) Swedish designer and entrepreneur

    Estrid Ericson (1894 – 1981) Swedish designer and entrepreneur

    Estrid Ericson, a pewter designer and design entrepreneur, was the founder of Svenskt Tenn, a highly influential Stockholm store and manufacturer closely associated with the Swedish Modern aesthetic and export success.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Carl Malmsten (1888 – 1972), Swedish furniture maker

    Carl Malmsten (1888 – 1972), Swedish furniture maker

    Carl Malmsten was a Swedish furniture designer. Inspired by Italian Renaissance and Swedish 18th-century forms, his work is typical of the new trends of the 1920s. Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Sofa, Borge Mogensen, 1945

    Sofa, Borge Mogensen, 1945

    This sofa’s straightforward execution and regular silhouette reflect characteristics that were considered essential for advanced design at the time. Nonetheless, the turned spindles, stretchers, and exquisite details owe a lot to Borge Mogensen’s use of the lexicon of traditional furniture forms—especially American Shaker and English Windsor—in his wRead More →


    Learn More →


  • Wiwen Nilsson (1897 – 1974) Swedish Silver Designer

    Wiwen Nilsson (1897 – 1974) Swedish Silver Designer

    Swedish Silver Designer Wiwen Nilsson (1897-1974), known for simplicity and elegance in his work, made notable contributions to art and design. He extensively trained in renowned art spaces, and his art has won several accolades.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Carl-Axel Acking (b. 1910), Swedish Architect & Furniture Designer

    Carl-Axel Acking (b. 1910), Swedish Architect & Furniture Designer

    Carl-Axel Acking (1910-2001) was a prominent architect and interior and industrial designer who was particularly active during the 1940s and 1950s. He studied at the National College of Art in Stockholm and the Art School and Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He was the architect of the Swedish Embassy in Tokyo and interior designer…


    Learn More →


  • Sigurd Persson (1914 – 2003) Swedish metalworker & glassware designer

    Sigurd Persson (1914 – 2003) Swedish metalworker & glassware designer

    Sigurd Persson (1914–2003) was a Swedish sculptor, blacksmith, and professor who is regarded as one of the twentieth century’s most influential Swedish designers. Growing up in a goldsmith family, Persson founded his studio in Stockholm in 1942. Throughout his long career, he crafted objects in various materials ranging from metal to glass to plastic. Read…


    Learn More →


  • Bruno Mathsson (1907 – 1988) Swedish Designer & Architect

    Bruno Mathsson (1907 – 1988) Swedish Designer & Architect

    Mathsson grew up in the town of Värnamo in Sweden’s Smland region, the son of a master cabinet maker. After a brief period of schooling, he began working in his father’s gallery.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Stockholm Design Week September 5-9, 2023

    Stockholm Design Week September 5-9, 2023

    The Stockholm Design Week will be held from February 6 to 12 and from September 5 to 9 in 2023.Stockholm has a lot of places where design events take place, from galleries and showrooms to dinner parties, meetings after fairs, opening cocktails, museums, and cultural centres.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Julius Olaf Randahl (1880 – 1972) Swedish silversmith

    Julius Olaf Randahl (1880 – 1972) Swedish silversmith

    In 1901, he moved to New York and worked for Tiffany and Gorham Manufacturing. In 1907, he worked at the Kalo Shop in Chicago before opening his own Randahl Shop in Park Ridge, Illinois, in 1911.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Kurt Versen (1901 – 1997), Swedish lighting designer

    Kurt Versen (1901 – 1997), Swedish lighting designer

    In the 1940s and 1950s, executed many assignments from architects for flexible lighting appropriate to Modern interiors.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Ola Wihlborg, Swedish industrial and product designer

    Ola Wihlborg, Swedish industrial and product designer

    He took his first steps towards his career as a designer at Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm, Sweden, where he studied furniture and product design. After graduating in 2004, he began working as a freelance designer.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Sydney Opera House – Design Classic

    Sydney Opera House – Design Classic

    The design of the Sydney Opera House (1956-73), which he won in an international competition, was Utzon’s crowning achievement. He envisioned a solid sculptural building made of a series of giant interlocking billowing white ‘sails’ inspired by the ships of Sydney Harbour.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Simon Gate (1883 – 1945) Swedish artisan and designer

    Simon Gate (1883 – 1945) Swedish artisan and designer

    Gate began his long affiliation with the Swedish glassmaking firm Orrefors in 1916. He worked as an artistic director and built the firm foundation for Sweden’sSweden’s substantial modern glass industry, alongside Edvard Hald, Vicke Lindstrand, Knut Bergqvist, and others.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Edvard Hald (1883-1980) Swedish Sculptor

    Edward Hald (17 September 1883 – 4 July 1980) was a Swedish sculptor. His work was part of the art competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics and the 1936 Summer Olympics.Read More →


    Learn More →


You may also be interested in

Konstantin Grcic Unveils The CUP Chair For Plank – Encyclopedia of Design

For travellers, the benefits of plastic shell suitcases have come to be appreciated. They are extremely light and flexible, yet powerful and good looking. Suitcases made of thin vacuum-formed plastic sheets have completely transformed the product category. As a designer of the furniture, Konstantin Grcic was surprised by this ingenuity and the suitability of the modern chair covers for production and performance.

Related Article

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.