Visit the cradle of Swedish design
Sweden is known worldwide as one of the leading countries for design in a broad sense – in furniture, interiors, glass, textiles, ceramics, wood, metal and other fields.
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Sofa from Lamhult |
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Photo: Sam Sjoestedt |
The Swedish design industry is centred in southern Sweden, and especially in the districts of Småland and Västergötland, both known for their long-standing tradition of craft skills and entrepreneurial spirit. These districts are popular destinations for visitors interested in design, who come to see and buy a piece of typically Swedish creativity and esthetics.
Most famous is the Kingdom of Crystal in Småland, one of Sweden´s most popular tourist destinations. The district is home to eleven smaller and larger distinguished glassworks, including Orrefors and Kosta Boda. Throughout the year there are guided tours around the area, featuring visits to the glassworks, and most of them are open to the public on regular basis. The glassworks have factory shops where you can buy glass at favourable prices. There are pleasant hotels and inns close to several of the glassworks, offering programmes and events that combine visits to the glassworks and factory shops with other experiences, such as dining and music. ”Hyttsill” (”Glassworks herring”) is a popular and traditional dining event held in many places around the Kingdom of Crystal.
For furniture and interiors, there are a number of leading design companies located close to the towns of Växjö and Värnamo, including Lammhult in Lammhult and Källemo in Värnamo, with exhibitions and shops. Other examples are Swedese in Vaggeryd and Offecct in Tibro. Älmhult in southern Småland is of course the home of IKEA, where the furniture giant still has its creative headquarters. You can stay at the IKEA hotel, like so many international design celebrities who come here on a regular basis.
The Sjuhäradsbygden district in Västergötland, around the city of Borås, is to textiles and fashion what Småland is to glass and furniture. Most of Sweden´s leading fashion brands and chains are headquartered in this area. In Hjällsta, there are factory outlets where you can purchase clothes from many of these brands at bargain prices.
Höganäs in Skåne is a small town known for its ceramic tradition. Here, at the Höganäs ceramics works is a factory outlet that sells not only Höganäs, but also other quality brands such as Rörstrand and Hackmans, which are both part of the same design conglomerate.
Göteborg and Malmö are both cities well worth a visit just for their arrays of design shopping, exhibitions and events. There are also several cutting-edge design shops and galleries around the countryside in Skåne, Småland an along the west coast. If you´re interested in handicrafts, the island of Gotland and the Österlen district in southwestern Skåne are two places of special interest, where tours are arranged in the springtime, with visits to studios and workshops of selected artists. You will find that the craft and design tradition is very much alive, throughout southern Sweden.