Orrefors out of the shop window
Founded in 1898 , Orrefors is located in southern Sweden, in the Småland region, an area historically marked by the glass industry. The village of Orrefors is part of what is known as Glasriket —the "glass kingdom"—alongside sites like Kosta, Boda, and Åfors. Initially, the factory produced utilitarian glassware, following a blend of artisanal and industrial practices typical of late 19th - century Scandinavia.
The decisive turning point came at the beginning of the 20th century, when the glassworks began collaborating with artists and designers trained in the decorative arts. From the 1910s and 1920s onward, Orrefors gradually moved away from strictly functional production to develop a more ambitious style, at the crossroads of art and industry. International recognition came quickly, particularly at major world's fairs and decorative arts exhibitions, where Swedish glass distinguished itself through its simplicity, technical mastery, and rejection of gratuitous ornamentation.
This reputation was long based on art glass: unique pieces, complex techniques, strong signatures. Yet, alongside this prestigious production, Orrefors developed throughout the 20th century another line, less spectacular but just as structuring: objects designed for domestic use, integrated into interior architecture, produced in controlled series and intended for international distribution.
It is this dual identity—art glassmaker and design publisher—that makes Orrefors unique. While artistic glass has largely shaped the company's image, a vital part of its history is written in these objects designed to be used, moved, and inhabited. Pieces where glass is not a demonstration, but a presence.
These are the objects, integrated into everyday life rather than displayed in showcases, that we find in the work of some of the house's major designers. Four of them allow us to see the most significant variations: Carl Fagerlund, Nils Landberg, Leek, and Olle Alberius.
Carl Fagerlund — Glass as a Structural Element
Carl Fagerlund (1915-2011) occupies a unique place in the history of Orrefors. He was neither an experimental glassmaker nor an artist in the museum sense of the term. He was first and foremost an industrial designer, in the truest sense of the word, and that is precisely what makes him important.
His work focuses on mass, density, and balance. The glass is thick, often colored—ruby, amber, smoky—and frequently combined with brass. The proportions are stable, grounded, almost architectural. In the case of his light fixtures, the light is never harsh: it is filtered, contained, kept at a distance.
At Fagerlund, glass doesn't seek to draw attention to itself. It structures the space. It interacts with the floor, the walls, and the surrounding volumes. These objects are designed to last, to accompany an interior over time, without relying on an immediate decorative effect.
This approach explains their stability on the market and their ease of integration into very different interiors, from the modernism of the 60s to more minimalist contemporary spaces.
SHOP:
CARL FAGERLUND RUBY RED LAMP BASIS FOR ORREFORS
SCANDINAVIAN XL GLASS LAMP CARL FAGERLUND FOR ORREFORS 1960
SCANDINAVIAN BLUE GLASS LAMP CARL FAGERLUND FOR ORREFORS 1960
Nils Landberg — The line before matter
Nils Landberg (1907-1991) adopted an almost opposite approach. Where Fagerlund worked with mass, Landberg prioritized line. Matter receded in favor of tension, verticality, and proportion.
His pieces are based on an extreme mastery of drawing. Glass becomes a line in space, a light yet demanding presence. Nothing is demonstrative. Everything rests on the balance between solid and void, on the relationship with natural light, on the precision of the gesture.
These objects don't immediately demand attention. They require careful observation, a space that allows them to breathe. Their strength lies in this restraint. They don't seek to capture attention, but rather to discreetly complement the space.
For Landberg, inhabiting glass means accepting that it is not a focal point, but an element of rhythm, almost of silence, in an interior.
SHOP:
SCANDINAVIAN GLASS LAMP SOMMERSO NILS LANDBERG FOR ORREFORS 1960
COLLECTION OF 5 SCANDINAVIAN GLASS VASES SOMMERSO NILS LANDBERG FOR ORREFORS
Gustaf Leek — Glass as an object of self-affirmation
With Leek (1923-1986), Orrefors initiated a significant evolution in his formal language, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. Glass gained freedom. Forms became more supple, colors more assertive, and the object more firmly claimed its presence.
This is not a sudden break, but a gradual shift. Glass is no longer simply used to accompany a function; it becomes an object in its own right, capable of existing on its own, without immediate narrative or functional support.
This period marks a pivotal moment: Orrefors moves away from strict functional simplicity to explore a more expressive style, without ever falling into excess. Leek's pieces remain controlled and balanced, but they fully embrace their decorative dimension.
They demonstrate an adaptation to new domestic uses and a freer relationship between object and space.
SHOP:
SCANDINAVIAN GUSTAF LEEK LAMP IN GOLDEN EGLOMISE GLASS ORREFORS 1960
Olle Alberius — Domestic Sculpture
Olle Alberius (1926-1993) takes this autonomy of the object even further. His work lies at the boundary between sculpture and function. The forms become more abstract, sometimes more radical, while still maintaining a direct relationship with domestic space.
At Alberius, glass is no longer simply contained or depicted: it occupies space. It asserts a presence, often frontal, but never gratuitous. Each piece is conceived as a volume capable of engaging in a dialogue with a minimalist, contemporary, sometimes brutalist interior.
This tension between art and function is central. Alberius's objects do not seek to be explained. They exist through their form, their balance, their ability to coexist with other materials — stone, wood, metal — without losing their autonomy.
Today they find a particular resonance in contemporary interiors, where the isolated, chosen object replaces decorative accumulation.
SHOP:
SCANDINAVIAN LAMP BASIS IN TRANSLUCENT GLASS OLLE ALBERIUS, ORREFORS 1970
Four writing systems, one same principle
These four designers do not share the same aesthetic, nor the same generation, nor the same relationship to form. Yet, a common principle unites them: the rejection of effect.
At Fagerlund, presence is constructed by mass.
At Landberg's, by the line.
At Leek's, through masterful expression.
In Alberius's work, through abstraction.
In all cases, glass is conceived as an element of the space, not as a mere decorative support. The aim is not to seduce immediately, but to create a lasting impression.
Why these objects remain relevant
If these pieces continue to function today, it is not through nostalgia or a passing fad. It is because they were designed to interact with the space, independently of dominant styles.
They blend naturally with mineral materials, lime plasters, raw wood, and patinated metals. They do not impose a decor, they become part of it.
This ability to transcend eras stems from a rigorous approach to design: attention to proportions, light, and actual use. Qualities that do not age.
Key designer collaborations with Orrefors
- Simon Gate
- Edward Hald
- Vicke Lindstrand
- Edvin Öhrström
- Sven Palmqvist
- Ingeborg Lundin
- Nils Landberg
- Carl Fagerlund
- Gunnar Cyren
- Olle Alberius
- Anne Nilsson
- Erika Lagerbielke
- Lena Bergström
- Ingegerd Råman
- Björn Dahlström
- Claesson Koivisto Rune
- Andreas Engesvik