Lisa Johansson-Pape On Sale

Lisa Johansson-Pape is one of the most recognized mid-century Finnish lighting designers, having earned this distinction — in her eyes — unintentionally.

Johansson-Pape began her career as a furniture designer for Kylmäkosku and Stockmann before turning her focus to lighting in the early 1940s for Stockmann-owned lighting manufacturer Orno, where she partnered with designer Yki Nummi. A graduate of Finland’s Central School of Arts and Crafts, Johansson-Pape was famously quoted as having attributed the success of her vintage table lamps, floor lamps and sconces to an “accident.”

“By education, I am a furniture designer, but I had to make lamps during the war," she explained. Her distinctive style sees a balance of clean aesthetics and a prioritization of practicality and function.

Johansson-Pape was a multidisciplinary engineer and designer who created space for women in many industries. She collaborated on a number of high-profile projects through a variety of partnerships, most notably with the glassblowers of Iittala during the 1950s, designing celebrated lighting fixtures for public spaces such as the Helsinki Children’s Hospital. She also collaborated on installations at 150 churches, including the famous Eckerö Church in Finland.

In 1951, Johansson-Pape was awarded the silver medal at the Triennale di Milano, and in 1954, she was awarded the gold medal for her design of the Sipuli, or Onion lamp. This was merely the start of a lifetime of awards and accolades for Johansson-Pape. She won the Pro-Finlandia prize in 1957 for her design of the Laura pendant lamp, and her other iconic lighting designs include the Belle pendant lamp and the Senator floor lamp.

Johansson-Pape’s work, which frequently saw an integration of acrylic and enamled brass alongside its glass components, was featured at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York and the “Design In Scandinavia” exhibition, which traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada in the 1950s. Her “Rya” textile exhibition debuted in Helsinki and toured Europe in 1956. In 1966, she took part in a joint exhibition in Stockholm with her friend, textile artist Dora Jung.

Lisa Johansson-Pape was an inspiring pioneer of design — she was passionate about traditional Finnish design and worked to build a community and platform for female designers and architects. Through her work at Friends of Finnish Handicraft — for which she designed textiles — Johansson-Pape supported several national movements in textile design and was the organization’s Artistic Director for more than three decades. She was also a recognized public speaker and author, having lectured on the subjects of furniture design, lighting and Scandinavian modernism. 

Find vintage Lisa Johansson-Pape stools, chandeliers and other furniture on 1stDibs. 

Scandinavian modernism is perhaps the warmest and most organic iteration of modernist design. The work of the designers associated with vintage Scandinavian modern furniture was founded on centuries-old beliefs in both quality craftsmanship and the ideal that beauty should enhance even the humblest accessories of daily life.

ORIGINS OF SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN 

• Emerged in the 1930s 
• Originated primarily in Denmark, Sweden and Finland
• Introduced in the United States in mid-20th century
• Informed by the Bauhaus and modernism; influenced American mid-century modernism  

CHARACTERISTICS OF SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

• Bold, clean lines and simple, sturdy symmetries
• Use of natural materials — native woods such as pine, ash and beech
• Open, airy spaces
• Promotion of functionality
• Emphasis on craftsmanship; rooted in cabinetry profession and traditional construction techniques
• Minimal ornamentation (little to no embellishment)
• A neutral or light color palette owing to prominence of light woods

SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

• Alvar Aalto
• Hans Wegner
• Kaare Klint
• Arne Jacobsen
• Greta Magnusson Grossman 
• Finn Juhl
• Arne Vodder
• Verner Panton

ICONIC SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS

• Ant chair
• Grasshopper table lamp
• Wishbone chair
• Stool 60
• Artichoke lamp

VINTAGE SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

The gentle, organic contours that are typical of Scandinavian design appear in the furnishings and decor created by Danish, Finnish and Swedish designers not as a stylistic gesture, but rather as a practical, ergonomic — and, as importantly, elegant — response to the human form.

Each nation produced exceptional talents in all areas of the applied arts, yet each had its forté. Sweden was home to Greta Magnusson Grossman and Bruno Mathsson — creators of the classic Grasshopper lighting series and Berlin daybed, respectively — but the country excelled most notably at ceramics. In the 1920s at the great Gustavsberg porcelain manufactory, Wilhelm Kåge introduced pieces in the Scandinavian style based on influences from folklore to Cubism; his skills were passed on to his versatile and inspired pupils Berndt Friberg and Stig Lindberg.

Likewise, Finland produced a truly ingenious Scandinavian modern furniture designer in the architect Alvar Aalto, a master at melding function and artistic form in works like the Paimio chair, created in collaboration with his first wife, Aino. Yet Finnish glassware was pre-eminent, crafted in expressive, sculptural designs by Tapio Wirkkala and Timo Sarpaneva.

The Danes excelled at chairs. Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen were exemplars of the country’s facility with wood, particularly teak. 

Wegner created such iconic pieces as the Round chair and the Wishbone chair; Jacobsen — while the revolutionary architect and furniture innovator produced the best-selling plywood Ant chair — designed two classic upholstered pieces of the 1950s: the Swan chair and Egg chair. The list of great Danes could go on and on, including Finn Juhl, a stylistic maverick and maker of the bold Chieftain chair; Poul Kjaerholm, with his lean metal-and-rattan aesthetic; and Verner Panton, who introduced a vibrant Pop note into international design.

Today, decades after their heyday, the prolific, ever-evolving Scandinavian modernists continue to amaze and delight, and interior designers all over the world use their pieces to bring warmth to any given space.

On 1stDibs, you will note both instantly recognizable vintage Scandinavian modern chairs, sofas, rugs and tables — those that have earned iconic status over time — and many new discoveries. 

The right table lamp, outwardly sculptural chandelier or understated wall pendant can work wonders for your home. While we’re indebted to thinkers like Thomas Edison for critically important advancements in lighting and electricity, we’re still finding new ways to customize illumination to fit our personal spaces all these years later. A wide range of antique and vintage lighting can be found on 1stDibs.

Today, lighting designers like the self-taught Bec Brittain have used the flexible structure of LEDs to craft glamorous solutions by working with what is typically considered a harsh lighting source. By integrating glass and mirrors, reflection can be used to soften the glow from LEDs and warmly welcome light into any space.

Although contemporary innovators continue to impress, some of the classics can’t be beat. 

Just as gazing at the stars allows you to glimpse the universe’s past, vintage chandeliers like those designed by Gino Sarfatti and J. & L. Lobmeyr, for example, put on a similarly stunning show, each with a rich story to tell.

As dazzling as it is, the Arco lamp, on the other hand, prioritizes functionality — it’s wholly mobile, no drilling required. Designed in 1962 by architect-product designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the piece takes the traditional form of a streetlamp and creates an elegant, arching floor fixture for at-home use.

There is no shortage of modernist lighting similarly prized by collectors and casual enthusiasts alike — there are Art Deco table lamps created in a universally appreciated style, the Tripod floor lamp by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Greta Magnusson Grossman's sleek and minimalist Grasshopper lamps and, of course, the wealth of mid-century experimental lighting that emerged from Italian artisans at Arredoluce, FLOS and many more are hallmarks in illumination innovation. 

With decades of design evolution behind it, home lighting is no longer just practical. Crystalline shaping by designers like Gabriel Scott turns every lighting apparatus into a luxury accessory. A new installation doesn’t merely showcase a space; carefully chosen ceiling lights, table lamps and floor lamps can create a mood, spotlight a favorite piece or highlight your unique personality.

The sparkle that your space has been missing is waiting for you amid the growing collection of antique, vintage and contemporary lighting for sale on 1stDibs.