Estrid Maria Ericson (; 16 September 1894 – 1 December 1981) was a Swedish
designer
A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...
, entrepreneur and founder of the interior decorating company
Svenskt Tenn.
Biography
Estrid Maria Erikson was born in
Ă–regrund
Ă–regrund is a locality situated in Ă–sthammar Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden. As of 2010, it had 1,555 inhabitants. It is located by the Baltic Sea, on the coast of Uppland. Despite its small population, Ă–regrund is still commonly referre ...
but grew up in
Hjo by Lake
Vättern
Vättern ( , ) is the second-largest lake in Sweden, after Vänern, and the sixth-largest lake in Europe. It is a long, finger-shaped body of fresh water in south central Sweden, to the southeast of Vänern, pointing at the tip of Scandinavia. ...
in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. Her parents ran a hotel, and when died, she and three of her sisters took over the company. When Ericson had graduated by the age of 19, she moved to Stockholm to attend the art school today known as
Konstfack
Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, is a university college for higher education in the area of art, crafts and design in Stockholm, Sweden.
History
Konstfack has had several different names since it was founded in 1844 by the eth ...
. She specialized in pattern making.
After working a semester as an arts teacher back in Hjo, Ericson was offered a position at
Svenska Slöjdföreningen, an arts and crafts company in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
. She started working at the home and furniture department.
From there, Ericson started working as a consultant in home furnishing for her former teacher
Elsa Gullberg
Elsa Gullberg (14 March 1886 – 1 March 1984) was a Swedish interior architect and textile designer. She was a pioneer of modern textile design in Sweden and played an instrumental role in transforming the textile industry. She was one of the re ...
. There, she got to know the pewter artist , which was to become her partner in founding Svenskt Tenn in 1924. She got the money to start the company from a small inheritance from her father. The focus of the company was creating modern pewter decorative objects that Ericson designed herself, made by Fougstedt and two other staff members. These objects were displayed at the
in Paris 1925, as well as in other fairs in Sweden and
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. Later on, Ericson also employed other designers and architects, such as
Uno Åhrén
Uno Åhrén (6 August 1897 – 8 October 1977) was a Swedish architect and city planner, and a leading proponent of functionalism in Sweden.
Biography
Uno Emrik Åhrén was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He graduated as an architect at the KTH R ...
to create pewter furniture.
Ten years later, in 1934, Ericson employed the Austrian functionalist designer
Josef Frank to Svenskt Tenn. This companionship was the start of a new era for the company, expanding in furniture design and interior decorating. Svenskt Tenn, Frank and Ericson were representatives for the "Swedish Modern" style – a new interpretation of functionalism, a softer and more nature inspired functionalism.
In her later years, Ericson again started creating pewter objects of her own design, up until her death in 1981.
Further reading Estrid Ericson at Svenskt Tenn
References
Further reading
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{{main other,
Swedish interior designers
1894 births
1981 deaths
20th-century Swedish businesswomen
20th-century Swedish businesspeople
People from Ă–sthammar Municipality