Shoptalk with Susanna Salk
Photography by Sam Frost

Svenska Mobler
“I HAD no practical background in antiques at all,” explains Andrew Wilder, who many now deem an expert in pre-war Swedish Modernism furniture with his Svenska Mobler showroom. “My Parents were post hippie Victorian antique collectors and I got dragged to a lot of antique stores so I suppose some of that was imprinted on me.” Wilder had his own company in his native New York developing knitted textile designs for apparel but ultimately found the short shelf life of fashion wearisome and ultimately moved to Portland, Oregon. But it wasn’t until he returned to Sweden — a place where he had spent much time living in his late teens, where realized longevity and his true calling lay. “I had spent countless hours in my youth wandering through Stockholm and collecting small decorative objects of the early 20th Century with whatever money I had,” says Wilder.

AND I forged a deep connection with the country’s aesthetic and culture.” Now ready to try his hand as a dealer, his eye sharpened upon 30's modernism in Sweden because, as he says, “The Swedes have their own interpretation of Art Deco: theirs is distinguished by indigenous, golden woods and the simple, graceful scale make them more compact than their American, British, and French counterparts—and there was very little exposure of it in the States.”

IN 1999, Wilder showed his first container of furn-iture and decoratives out of his home in Oregon and realized pretty quickly that his vision needed a bigger city in which to realize itself. Knowing he didn’t want to return to Manhattan, he looked towards California and while visiting a friend in Los Angeles, spotted an available space on La Brea Boulevard. “Six weeks later, I moved my entire life and set up shop there,” remembers Wilder. “I really went very intuitively.” He began to broaden his stock by mixing in Biedermeir and Jugendstil and other fine examples of mid-century design.

A devoted fan base soon followed on both coasts. With so many trips to Chicag for antique shows, it soon became clear that opening a second showroom in the Windy City made perfect sense. “It’s great having the two distinct cities: in Los Angeles, people tend to buy more streamlined, casual pieces while in Chicago, pieces are often more classic and elegant to blend in with the reg-ion's existing antiques,” explains Wilder. Five years ago, he found himself also drawn to mid-century from Argentina. “It’s an undocumented, home-design movement with hybridized influences from the United States and Italy with unique South American twists,” says Wilder. “And it has a grace and movement that works so well with the Swedish inventory.”

WITH multiple trips to Buenos Aries and Sweden throughout the year, Wilder is grateful for the rare moments that keep him en-sconced in his Spanish Art Deco abode on a Los Angeles hilltop. Surrounded by mountains and eclectic furnishings peppered with a colorful contemporary art collection, "It really has become my dream house where I find peace,” says Wilder. And if his interiors fail to soothe, Wilder enjoys regular sessions of yoga and mediation. At the end of the day, however, it is clear that what brings Wilder ultimate happiness is Svenska Möbler: “Every day, it brings me surprises and growth.”

LOS ANGELES:
154 North La Brea Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Phone: 323.934.4452
FAX: 323.934.0385

CHICAGO:
516 North Wells Street,
Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: 323.595.9320
Fax: 312.595.9127

ON THE WEB:
Http://www.svenskamobler.com
email:mobler@sbcglobal.net