Holiday Joys

Christmas at Svenskt Tenn 2023 is inspired by fairytales of the past. Of Swedish traditions, glossy candy apples and the lacquered seal of wrapped gifts. Of Christmas markets and ornately decorated trees.

This season's new arrivals features Josef Frank’s fabric print Catleya and Estrid Ericsons’ Elefant, both in brown new colourways. Maja Sten returns as a designer for the house, with brass ornaments, paper garlands and glass baubles for the tree.

Svenskt Tenn's holiday dining room 2023

Holiday Dining Room

This holiday season, we set our dining table to enchant guests of all ages. Colourful glasses, grandiose candelabras, stacks of baked goods and unique details makes for a display for both children and grown-ups.

The table is set with a palette of green, brown and yellow. The linen tablecloth, featuring Josef Frank’s Catleya print is freshly pressed and on the table there’s a wide variety of glassware. Personalised gingerbread cookies are placed at every seat. Grown-ups toast with Gunnar Cyrén’s classic ‘Pop’ glasses, while the children’s seats are doused with candy canes and wrapped gifts. Mismatching chairs are placed around the table, creating a comfortable and inviting setting for all ages.

Christmas dining room Svenskt Tenn 2023

To dine is a pleasure for all ages and ranks of society. We sit down for a meal more than a thousand times each year of our lives. So it is of utmost importance that we try to make these events enjoyable. Anything that can bring a sense of poetry and pleasure to a meal, should be cherished.

– Estrid Ericson

Combine, mix, and match different details to make this Christmas’ table settings feel personal. Svenskt Tenn’s deep green schnapps glasses are crafted by Reijmure Glasbruk based on a design from the 18th century. Here, the glasses are combined with Svenskt Tenn’s oval platters from the 40s, Sebastian Schildt’s pewter pitcher from 2002 as well as Italian designs like Alberto Striulli’s Hexagon carafe and the Milano cutlery set from Pinti Inox.

Inspiration Matrum Svenskt Tenn jul 2023

Handle Holder 12 arms

Josef Frank often combined different materials in his designs. For this candelabra, he used shiny polished brass and woodwork lacquered in green, white or red. This design originates from the 1950s and has become a recurring classic that returns to Svenskt Tenn’s range each Christmas.

Discover the candelabra

A sideboard is ideal for displaying and serving Christmas sweets. Fill it with plates and bowls of candies, nuts and fruits. Josef Frank’s ‘567’ Sideboard was designed for Svenskt Tenn in 1935, and is today crafted by master woodworkers Eriksson och Söner outside of Nyköping.

Discover all sideboards

Trays

Serve up snacks or sweets on a beautiful tray with patterns by Josef Frank. The ‘Catleya’ print in brown is one of the new additions this Christmas, designed in the 1930s for Svenskt Tenn. It was our founder Estrid Ericson who in the 1950s began laminating printed fabrics onto trays, something that continues to be a part of today’s range. This technique ensures that every tray has a unique and lively expression.

Discover all trays
Josef Frank's Catleya

Josef Frank’s Catleya

From South American rainforests to the local flower shop in Stockholm. Josef Franks iconic ‘Catleya’ print depicts lilies, anemones, scillas, roses, carnations, pansies and the exotic orchid that is the namesake of this outstanding 1930s design.

Josef Frank originally designed the print in the 1930s, perhaps inspired by the flowers sold in his local flower shop near Rindögatan in Stockholm. In the motif, he combines a variety of flower species that author Kristina Wängberg-Eriksson poetically chronicles in her book Pepis Flora:

A lily, could be of Leucolirion variety from China, an anemone of Mediterranean origin, named by Theosfrastos; “bluebell” a Scilla growing wild in England; Cattleya, an orchid from the rainforests of South America; a tea rose with layers of petals; a carnation dedicated to Zeus according to Greek mythology, a pansy, the flower of king’s daugher Io.

‘Catleya’ is one of the medallion designs that Josef Frank created in the 1930s, and it is currently the only one in production. The idea behind these print styles was to draw in the eye and let it wander between the different “windows” in the design. This way, the motif resists feeling monotonous, despite the separate pattern figures and small repeat.

Catleya by Josef Frank

A linen fabric with Josef Frank's Catleya print is displayed at the textile department in the store on Strandvägen 5, 1952.

‘Catleya’ is dominated by floral medallion motifs, featuring contours in a mix of colours. The print has been a part of Svenskt Tenn’s range for many years. For Christmas 2023, it is released a brown-yellow colourway; one of three colourways featured in the original pattern design sheet.

Svenskt Tenn's holiday living room 2023

CHRISTMAS HAS COME TO OUR LIVING ROOM

Like a fairytale from the past. This Christmas, we decorate our living room with sweet-smelling gingerbreads, pine wreaths, textiles and Christmas stockings. The tree has a given place, dangling with this season’s new arrivals like hand-painted baubles and brass ornaments inspired by holiday sweets and candies.

This Christmas, we fill our living room with personality and warmth to create an inviting atmosphere. Cosiness and comfort are re-emphasised as key themes when decorating a home for the holiday. Continuing the philosophy and legacy established by Estrid Ericson and Josef Frank.

We decorate the tree with traditional candles and Maja Sten’s new Christmas collection. Sparkling brass ornaments in the shape of gingerbread and hand-painted baubles in colours inspired by traditional sweets: candy canes, lollipops and cellophane-wrapped candies.

Discover the Christmas collection

For this collection, I started with the beauty and joy I find in the small things. The ritualistic act of decorating our homes, baking, wrapping, varnishing and crafting. It's a fairytale world made of gingerbread and sweets.

– Maja Sten

When creating the brass pendants seen in this bonsai tree, Maja Sten was inspired by old gingerbread cookie cutters from her childhood. Playfully shaped like animals and figures dressed in hats and shoes. Sten also drew inspiration from old Swedish tapestry art, turning the figures into quirky characters.

Christmas Living room Svenskt Tenn 2023

It is not the houseware or the furniture that are most important in a home — it is the atmosphere. Atmosphere, consists partially of the lighting, both during day and evening, as well as the proportions of the room. Well-read books, thriving house plants, lovingly used musical instruments, ticking clocks and pets — dogs, cats, birds — anything that is alive makes a home far more beautiful than a perfect chair or a well-considered wallpaper.

– Estrid Ericson

New Arrival

STOOL ‘647’

Josef Frank’s popular Stool ‘647’, originally designed in 1936. Reissued for Christmas 2023 featuring Italian-made upholstery fabrics from Dedar.

A warmly lit corner dedicated to reading, with an armchair and cushions to lounge in. For this Christmas’ living room, Björn Trägårdh’s functionalist Armchair 219 (originally designed in the 1930s) is reissued in Jim Thompson’s polka-striped upholstery ‘Aenas’. This armchair was one of the first furniture pieces launched at Svenskt Tenn, and one of few in today’s range that wasn’t designed by Josef Frank. This design came about before Frank’s time when the entire furniture range was designed by Björn Trägårdh and Uno Åhren, commissioned by Estrid Ericson.

Discover the armchair

A heart-shaped cushion, fabrics ‘Elefant’ and ‘Catleya’ in new brown colourways are some of the new additions in the Christmas 2023 collection. Josef Frank originally designed ‘Catleya’ in 1930 featuring floral medallions and dotted contours in mixed colours. The red/yellow colourway of the print has been a part of Svenskt Tenn’s range for over a decade and is now made available in brown for Christmas.

Discover all cushions

CELEBRATE ADVENT

To celebrate the Swedish tradition of advent, we serve up a beautiful spread on Josef Frank’s classic coffee table ‘2073’. Here, timeless pewter objects like Edvin Öhrström’s Egyptian candle holders from 1928 and Signe Persson-Melin's “Myrtle” set from 2004 are combined with Sara Söderberg’s ‘Gryning’ tea cup and saucer, designed in 2022.

Pot Tolvekarna

COFFEE TABLE ‘2073’ BY JOSEF FRANK

Coffee table ‘2073’ was originally designed for Svenskt Tenn in 1949 by Josef Frank. The table was featured in several interior designs commissioned by Swedish embassies post-WWII, which gave it the nickname the “diplomat’s table”. The table features many of Josef Frank’s design signatures — the softly rounded corners as well as the stylised feet inspired by traditional English furniture.

Discover the coffee table
Svenskt Tenn's holiday botany 2022

CHRISTMAS FLOWERS AND PLANTS

This year, the Christmas flowers at Svenskt Tenn are inspired by Josef Frank’s classic Catleya fabric print. Here, roses, hyacinths, carnations and amaryllises are displayed in pots and vases decorated with swirly motifs, inspired by the royal icing of gingerbread houses.

The flora featured in Josef Frank’s ‘Catleya’ fabric print includes rose, lily, bluebell, carnation and orchid. For Christmas 2023, the print is released in a brown colourway at Svenskt Tenn and serves as the basis of inspiration for how we decorate our christmas homes using flowers, vases and pots.

Miniature potted roses are widely available and lends themselves well to making Christmas arrangements. Here, we decorate the patio with the classic ‘Tolvekarna’ pot, in a vibrant red colourway. A Christmas colourway exclusively available for sale at Svenskt Tenn during Christmas.

POT ‘TOLVEKARNA’

“The world of botanics is incredible, both from a visual and historical aspect, think about Linnaéus Flora, his taxonomy of species and the plant kingdom. To sow a seed, wait and follow its growth — there’s something sensorial about the whole process. They are alive, constantly in a state of growth or decay only to be reborn again. Plants are forgiving and poetic — these pots were created to emphasise their unique qualities.”

– Erika Pekkari

More than a decade has passed since designer Erika Pekkari created the widely-loved Tolvekarna pot for Svenskt Tenn. The pot can be used both indoors and outdoors; a simple and beautiful way to decorate the home for Christmas.

Discover the pot

Hortus is a classic that can be used both as a pot and vase. Here, we’ve arranged a selection of sesonal flowers like roses, carnations, amaryllis and hyacinths into a Christmas bouquet.

You can never own too many vases, as vases need to be chosen to suit the flowers, or else it’s not a good fit. You should therefore strive to own as many different vases as there are different kinds of flowers.

– Estrid Ericson

Amaryllis is a classic Christmas flower and is here displayed to resemble the lily in Josef Frank’s ‘Catleya’ fabric print. A simple arrangement with impressive blooms and simple twigs both in Björn Trågårdh’s ‘Waveform’ vase and Josef Frank’s ‘Nr 13’ vase, designed in 1957. In Eric Ericson’s pot, roses and carnations in shades of pink are displayed.

The ‘Syltkrukan’ (jam pot) vase was originally designed by Estric Ericson in the early 1950s. With its practical size and versatility, it has become one of our classics. For Christmas we fill this popular pewter piece with white roses and hyacinths.

VASE ‘IRIS’

A single slipper orchid is placed in Ann Wahlström’s vase ‘Iris’ made of amber-coloured glass. The ‘’Iris collection was created to supply the need for timeless, classic and functional vases for all occasions. They are made using an old technique which is laborious and time-consuming requiring several moulds. The vases are available in green, clear and ambe colourways.

Discover ‘Iris’ vase
Maja Sten

CHRISTMAS COLLECTION DESIGNER MAJA STEN

Since 2005, Svenskt Tenn has collaborated with illustrator and designer Maja Sten when she created the now-classic acorn doorstop together with Eva Schildt. For Christmas 2023, Sten returns to the house with a collection of decorative pieces that celebrate nostalgia and traditions.

With baubles, paper garlands, brass ornaments and fabric prints, illustrator and designer Maja Sten has created a fairytale world that celebrates the bustle and joyous rituals that surround her childhood memories of Christmas.

“For this collection, I began with the beauty I find in the small things. The ritualistic act of decorating our homes, baking, wrapping, varnishing and crafting. A fairytale world made of gingerbread and sweets.”

When I was little; the day before Christmas eve we’d always bring down a heavy chest from the attic. I can still remember how it smelled. This treasure that we children would throw ourselves at. Opening it was a magic ritual, unpacking the sparkling objects it contained, each with their own story — this is the emotion I want this collection to evoke.

Among the new additions in this year’s collection are the ‘Goda Ting’ baubles and the ‘Kristyr’ brass ornaments ; Christmas tree decorations reminiscing of gingerbread and traditional Christmas sweets.

Maja Sten for Svenskt Tenn 2023

In my family home, we had these old gingerbread cookie cutters. With hats askew, protruding chins, and feet resembling like they were on the run, I think they had so much more personality than the modern ones. These shapes inspired my collection, and the patterns I drew from the royal icing they were decorated with. The colours of the baubles are inspired by traditional Swedish Christmas sweets, candy canes, lollipops, marzipan, marmalade jellies and cellophane-wrapped candies.

Maja Sten for Svenskt Tenn 2023
Maja Sten for Svenskt Tenn 2023
Maja Sten for Svenskt Tenn 2023
Design by Maja Sten

The ‘Kristyr’ brass pot is another new addition. Available in different shapes and sizes, it is ideal for displaying seasonal fruits and flower arrangements. In the making of the pot, Maja Sten was inspired by the billowing waves of the royal icing used to decorate gingerbread figures, giving a touch of softness and tactility that offset the austere shape of the brass pot.

Design by Maja Sten

About Maja Sten

Maja Sten is active in Stockholm, Sweden. She began her training at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design and continued her studies at the Royal College of Art of London. Upon graduation, she returned to Sweden to open her own studio in Stockholm. Her colourful aesthetic is playful and distinct, often drawing inspiration from folk arts and nature.

Svenskt Tenn's Christmas exhibition 2023

Exhibition Holiday Joys

Exhibited at Strandvägen 5 03.11.2023 – 07.01.2024

Fragrant oranges, cloves and beautiful winter greenery. Atmospheric music, homely environments and a bustling Christmas market. Holiday Joys have finally come to the store at Strandvägen 5 in Stockholm.

Christmas is present in every corner of the store at Strandvägen 5 in Stockholm. Tables and shelves are filled with decorations and beautifully wrapped gifts. In the Strandvägen Gallery, an atmospheric living room setting is displayed together with the new arrivals of this year's Holiday collection. In the Hall of Mirrors — a bustling Christmas market is open with decorations, gifts, textiles and table setting details.