Between Swedish Grace and the Holiday Cottage

When people today speak about Axel Einar Hjorth, they often begin with the rough pine furniture he designed for holiday cottages in the early 1930s — the chairs, tables, and stools named after islands in the Stockholm archipelago. But Hjorth did not begin there. He arrived at this stripped-back language gradually, moving from the polished world of Swedish Grace and Art Deco towards something more direct, sturdy, and quietly modern.

Hjorth was born in 1888 near Norrköping and grew up in modest circumstances before being placed in foster care. That background stands in contrast to the refined interiors he later created for Stockholm’s leading department store, Nordiska Kompaniet (NK). He became NK’s chief architect in 1927, and throughout the late 1920s he designed interiors and furniture that defined the elegance of the period: clear lines, fine materials, and balanced proportions.

The pieces from this era show a designer fluent in a sophisticated urban idiom. The dining table model O.K. from 1937 is poised and architectural. 

The Typenko bookshelf from 1931 expresses order and restraint.

The bar cart Corall and the side chairs Margareta, both from the 1930s, reveal a light decorative rhythm. 

While the table Madame carries the polished confidence associated with Swedish Grace. These works represent the height of Hjorth’s first creative chapter — and several of them form part of Modernity’s collection today.

But in 1930, the trajectory shifted. During the Stockholm Exhibition that year, Hjorth received direct criticism for presenting furniture considered far too luxurious, made in materials and styles seen as out of step with the emerging ideals of modern Swedish life. While the exhibition promoted functionalism, Hjorth’s contribution was viewed as belonging to an earlier decorative tradition.

He took the criticism seriously. And he responded to it quickly. When Hjorth returned the following year at NK’s Spring Exhibition in 1931, he presented an entirely new idea: furniture intended for Sweden’s growing culture of holiday cottages. This was not a minor adjustment but a clear statement of direction. The refined veneers and urban silhouettes disappeared. In their place came solid pine, robust volumes, visible construction, and an honesty that spoke directly to a changing society.

This shift aligned with broader cultural developments. Paid holiday time had recently been introduced, and a national emphasis on outdoor recreation had begun to take shape. People sought fresh air, nature, and modest cottages — and they needed furniture that belonged in these settings.

In 2025, Swedish national television (SVT) aired the documentary Nordic Design – A Love Story, which explores this moment in detail. Cilla Robach, curator at Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, explains that the emerging social-democratic ideals aimed to ensure citizens’ wellbeing, including how they spent their holidays. Furniture, she notes, supported this vision of a healthy, balanced life.

Design journalist Hedvig Hedqvist adds that the rise of holiday cottages created a real need for sturdy wooden furniture that felt at home among pine forests and coastal landscapes. Hjorth understood this early. He sensed the moment — and designed for it.

The furniture he introduced in 1931 and developed through 1932–33 was a decisive departure from his earlier work. Instead of exotic woods, he chose pine, sometimes acid-treated to deepen its tone. The forms became strong, clear, and expressive: thick planks, exposed joints, and sturdy silhouettes. Nationalmuseum has noted that many of the cottage furniture pieces carried names drawn from the archipelago — including Sandhamn, Lovö, and Utö — giving them an unmistakable sense of place. 

The Lovö and Utö pieces stand at the centre of this new direction. The Lovö chairs, with their straightforward construction, feel grounded and calm. The Utö occasional table from 1932, compact and purposeful, embodies the simplicity and clarity Hjorth sought in this work.

The contemporary French interior architect and furniture designer Pierre Yovanovitch offers a valuable present-day perspective on these pieces. In an interview published by Modernity in 2016, he described his fascination with Hjorth’s cottage furniture, calling it “amazingly modern.” In the 2025 SVT documentary, he explains that he enjoys placing Hjorth’s pine pieces in interiors far removed from the rustic cottages they were originally designed for.

The tension they create, he says, brings depth and character to a space.

Today, the path from Hjorth’s refined NK furniture — pieces such as O.K., Typenko, Corall, Margareta and Madame — to the direct simplicity of Lovö and Utö reveals more than a stylistic change. It reflects a designer who listened closely to the cultural mood of Sweden and responded with conviction. It is the story of a man who understood when the world was changing — and who met that change with clarity, care, and a deep sense of how furniture could shape daily life.