66. ALVAR AALTO. “Padded Paimio”, an armchair, O.y HuoneKalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas A.B for Artek, Finland, 1930s, model number 44.

The Design Collection

The Design Collection – A Journey Through Design History

A warm welcome to this spring’s major design auction at Stockholm’s Auction House. In The Design Collection, the best and most exciting of Swedish and international design from the 20th century onwards is presented. The auction consists of just over 300 carefully selected objects, with the auction catalog arranged chronologically to further highlight the stylistic development – from the beginning of the 20th century to the present – in a curated timeline.

Among the major highlights of the auction are a unique flower cabinet by Erik Chambert, the essence of Swedish grace in the form of an armchair by Uno Åhrén, and a pair of historic functionalist armchairs by Sven Markelius – all of which have connections to some of the most iconic world exhibitions, not least the Stockholm Exhibition of 1930.

In 1930, the national Stockholm Exhibition took place, and international visitors came to Stockholm to see what the Swedish designers had to offer. Instead of the expected Nordic classicism, they were met with a stylistic turning point – functionalism had begun to take shape. One of the more notable program items during the Stockholm Exhibition was the collaboration between NK and Sven Markelius, where the furniture manufacturer had hired the functionalist architect to design and furnish an entire villa in the area – Villa 49 – as his contribution to the exhibition’s housing competition

When the exhibition was dismantled, the furniture was scattered, and two of the armchairs ended up in a builder's apartment in Södermalm, where they have remained ever since. Now, Stockholm’s Auction House is proud to present them in its first edition of The Design Collection. The auction will take place on April 29, with the exhibition opening on April 9 at Nybrogatan 32.