A Collector's Life

Harriet (1930-2024) and Sven Borgström (1928-2022) met in Malmö during their early teens. Sven, who had already begun painting at that time, studied painting, drawing, and graphic design at Tekniska Skolan in Malmö under the guidance of Jules Schyl (1883-1977). In the late 1940s, he began working as a commercial artist at Telegrambyrån in Copenhagen, alongside colleagues such as John Melin and Anders Österlin. After a few years, he moved to Stockholm, where he started working as an illustrator at the large ad agency Torsten Ericsson in 1953.

During his early time in Stockholm, Sven shared an apartment with Christer Strömholm, who was then using his French pseudonym, Christer Christian. During his stays in Paris, Christer discovered the city’s flea markets, and it was likely through him that the Borgströms’ passion for collecting was ignited. When Sven started his new job, Harriet, who was a newly graduated nurse in Lund, soon followed him to Stockholm, and they moved into their first apartment near Sankt Eriksplan. In 1957, the family, which by then included their son Matz Borgström (born 1954), moved to the new modern Stockholm suburb of Vällingby, and shortly thereafter, their daughter Bodil (born 1958) was born. The couple lived in their row house on Timrågatan in the so-called Vällingby Heights until their passing—Sven in 2022 and Harriet in 2024.

A life filled with culture.

They held annual passes to Moderna Museet, attended classical music concerts at Konserthuset, ballet at the Royal Opera as members of the Opera Ballet Club, theatre performances at Dramaten, and countless art and design exhibitions at galleries and artist studios. They frequently visited auction houses, and they developed a keen interest in ceramics, glass, porcelain, fine furniture, art, and design. By the 1950s, they had become good friends with figures such as Inez Svensson, Estrid Ericson, and Herta Hillfon.

For more than 30 years, Sven ran his own design firm, "Grafisk Design AB," in Vällingby, with clients such as Swedish Match, GB, Vattenfall, and DUX, among many others. He also designed several logos that are still in use today, including Apoteksbolaget’s symbol featuring a snake that forms the letter "A." When H&M (then known as Hennes & Mauritz) decided to open a store in Stockholm, Sven was commissioned to design it. He also worked with researchers and planners to create the illustrations for how the Vasa ship would be salvaged and how the museum would look.

Their shared passion for beautiful, fun, and interesting items of all kinds created a vibrant and personal home. Collecting was both educational and brought great joy to Harriet, Sven, and their family. Now, a significant portion of this collection will be auctioned in the "Ett samlarliv" auction.

/Matz Borgström and Bodil Smedberg