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In the 21st century, we've witnessed an unmistakable renaissance of the Swedish interior ideals once known as Swedish Grace and Swedish Modern. While 1920s continental design leaned into exclusive, often over-decorated Art Deco environments, Sweden developed a more classical aesthetic. It drew inspiration from antiquity and, more locally, the renewed interest in 18th-century neoclassicism. Yet this wasn’t a case of simple imitation—Swedish designers of the 1920s reinterpreted and refined these influences, bringing an unprecedented lightness and delicacy to their work. Furniture incorporated elements like columns, and Swedish glass—celebrated at the 1925 Paris Exhibition—was decorated à la grecque. The trend, however, was short-lived. Functionalism soon arrived, championing utilitarian steel forms and a fascination with modern machinery. Still, the break wasn't absolute: the strict rationalism of functionalist design struggled to take root in a country so rich in forests and woodworking traditions. Instead, a softer Swedish version emerged—one of organic forms, later dubbed Swedish Modern. Pieces in this style lacked the opulence of earlier decades but were hardly the product of utopian industrial fantasies.
Objects designed by Anna Petrus are among the most sought-after Swedish 20th-century pieces on the auction market today. This candlestick, cast at Herman Bergman’s Art Foundry, was sold for just over SEK 210,000 at Göteborgs Auktionsverk in 2019.
The rediscovery of Swedish Grace and Swedish Modern first focused on furniture from these decades. Swedish-made pieces from the 1920s through the 1940s began breaking records—first in Stockholm, then in auction houses in London, Paris, and Chicago. This surge was crowned by Axel Einar Hjorth’s so-called “Sportstugemöbler” (weekend cottage furniture) in pine, which today symbolizes the archetype of Nordic blonde interiors. In recent years, similarly stunning prices have followed for lighting design. Long overlooked in terms of documentation and attribution, this category has quickly become a focus for collectors and interior designers alike. And now, it seems, smaller decorative objects are poised to follow the same trajectory.
And it's hardly surprising. During the second quarter of the 20th century, these small objects held a natural and prominent place in Swedish homes. After the lavish interiors of the late 1800s, the 1920s brought a renewed appetite for ornament. Most popular were innovative candlesticks, bowls, vases, lidded jars, and bookends made of pewter. For decades, pewter had been mass-produced with diminishing artistic value. But when the new wave of 1920s designers embraced the material with energy and creativity, the public took notice. Contemporary critics even described pewter objects as “indispensable ingredients in Swedish homes” and quintessential examples of the era’s classicism. Adorned with palmettes and Greco-inspired figures, pewter pieces became so beloved that the abundance nearly collapsed the market. At the top of the hierarchy stood Firma Svenskt Tenn, whose boutique on Strandvägen in Stockholm became a beacon of Swedish taste.
Chess set with matching box by Erik Harald Rehn, made by Schreuder & Ohlsson in 1933. The set was sold in spring 2023 for SEK 50,000 at Stockholms Auktionsverk.
Amid this development, Functionalism introduced new aesthetic doctrines. Form was elevated above all, and ornament stripped away—or at least, so the theory went. In practice, decorative objects with elaborate flourishes continued to be produced through the 1930s and 1940s. For pewterware, this marked a turning point. Bulbous, rounded forms became more common, but so did stark, angular creations—some bordering on the severe. Bronze and brass objects, and to some extent wrought iron, also gained popularity during the 1930s. A host of new manufacturers entered the scene, making today’s landscape of small metal objects both rich and diverse.
Tvåarmade kandelabrar, formgivna av Carl-Einar Borgström, tillverkade år 1930 av Ystad-Tenn.
In a market where designer names and provenance are becoming ever more crucial to final sale prices, the hunt for information and top-quality pieces is in full swing. Several books have been written about Svenskt Tenn, though pewter objects make up only a small portion of a production otherwise dominated by Josef Frank’s furniture, lamps, and textiles. In 2020, Jonas Barros Eriksson published a comprehensive volume on Ystad-Metall, clearing up many uncertainties surrounding one of the most prominent manufacturers in the field. In Modernt Svenskt Tenn, Hedvig Hedqvist and Rikard Jacobson wrote: “Few materials have experienced the kind of rollercoaster ride in public taste as pewter.” There’s much truth in that—and today, pewter is once again beloved. Crafoord Auctions in Stockholm has in recent years hosted regular themed auctions under the title Modern Metal, and Stockholm’s Auktionsverk has presented record-breaking results for modern pewter items. Yet chances are the trend is still in its infancy—that the biggest records have yet to be broken, and that the most exciting, decorative pieces are still waiting to be discovered.
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