Pioneering Women of Nordic Design

At Modernity, we are delighted to highlight works by some of Scandinavia’s most influential female designers. Their contributions shaped not only the history of design but also the way we think about furniture, textiles, and applied arts today.

Sculptor and industrial designer Anna Petrus was a leading figure in Sweden’s artistic design movement of the 1910s and 1920s. Her richly decorative work includes tables, candlesticks, and vases. One of her most celebrated designs, the table Jaktbrickan (“The Hunting Tray”), was produced in her Stockholm studio between 1922 and 1925. It was exhibited at the Gothenburg Jubilee Exhibition in 1923 and at the Exposition Internationale in Paris in 1925. This very piece was later given as a wedding gift in 1927 by Anna Petrus herself to her husband’s brother and his wife, Gunnar and Dagmar Lyttkens, and it remained in the family until the previous owner.

The Danish architect, designer, and academic Bodil Kjær is best known for her office furniture series from the 1960s, widely recognised in popular culture. She described her approach simply: “I am not a furniture designer; I am a designer of environments.” At Modernity, we present a set of easy chairs created for Harbo Sølvsten in 1956 for the modernist residence Doktorn 5 in Laholm, Sweden.

Märta Måås-Fjetterström, one of Sweden’s most important textile artists, opened her workshop in 1919. She reinterpreted traditional Swedish folk motifs with remarkable originality, creating works such as The Meadows. Her legacy continues to define Swedish textile design.

Swedish-American designer Greta Magnusson-Grossman became renowned for her modernist furniture and lighting. Her most enduring works include the Grasshopper floor lamp and the Cobra table lamp, both admired for their elegant lines and timeless appeal. Modernity is proud to hold two of the iconic Grasshopper floor lamps in our collection.

As artistic director of Måås-Fjetterström’s workshop, Barbro Nilsson expanded its repertoire to include not only rugs but also tapestries and church textiles. She is celebrated for works such as Sun Spots and the Salerno series, which combine abstract design with striking clarity.

Active in the 1930s, silversmith Sylvia Stave produced refined and practical household objects, often with a playful modernist touch. Between 1931 and 1939 she served as artistic director at C.G. Hallberg, where she created works such as this elegant pitcher. Decades later, in the 1980s, the Italian firm Alessi reintroduced her cocktail shaker, bringing new attention to her distinctive style.

Estrid Ericson founded Svenskt Tenn in 1924 and played a central role in shaping Swedish design. While her name is often linked to her collaboration with Josef Frank, her own creations are equally significant. The Bay Leaf Mirror (Model A 2492), designed in 1941, is one of her most enduring designs and reflects her refined sense of form.

Kyllikki Salmenhaara was a leading figure in Finnish ceramics, working at Arabia between 1947 and 1963 before becoming a teacher at the School of Arts and Design in Helsinki. She experimented boldly with form, glazes, and clay bodies, creating surfaces that often recalled birch bark, bedrock, and autumn leaves. In our collection, Modernity presents two of her more elaborate vases, produced during her most renowned period at Arabia.

Together, these women helped redefine Scandinavian design in the twentieth century. Their creativity and vision remain influential today, and through presenting their work, Modernity hopes to ensure their place in the ongoing story of design.