1956: Britain's queen visits Sweden. As part of the visit, she really wants to see how the average Swede lives and resides. With the press closely following, she pays a visit to the Larsson family in their small folkhemsvilla (Swedish suburban villa) in one of Stockholm's suburbs. They have a string shelf, ceramics from Upsala-Ekeby, a model railway for the children to play with, and a rocking chair to relax in. It's called Isabella, has been on the market for a few years, and comes from Gemla Fabrikers AB in Diö. The company has a history dating back to the 1860s, with toys and tennis rackets in their repertoire, but it's with bentwood furniture in the true Swedish style that they truly make their mark in Swedish design history. Bentwood chairs and tables in turn-of-the-century café styles are produced in hundreds of thousands, and Gemla becomes a respected name. At the time of the rocking chair's creation, the factory had also produced quite a few interesting models of a different kind, including some elegant restaurant chairs designed by Carl Bergsten. And it continues. In the 1950s, innovative seating furniture is presented by designers like Poul Volther, Yngve Ekström, and Svante Skogh, and in the second half of the century, an incredible range of models is introduced, especially for public spaces.
At Crafoord Auctions in Stockholm, we meet some of the factory's classics. Isabella is, of course, one of them. Models like Bern, Wien, and Gracell are a few others. Alongside these, there is also an example of Karl-Axel Adolfsson's stylized 'earflap' armchair 852/2. You don't see that every day. At Crafoord Auctions, you can try it out, and ideally, after the auction, you can take it home with you.
