Swedish furniture designer Axel Einar Hjorth created tables, chairs, cabinets and other pieces that were as elegant as they were functional, and he frequently worked in references to a litany of inspirations including French Art Deco, Gustavian style and modernism. Ahead of his time, his style was refined and daringly simple.
Born in Krokek, Sweden, Hjorth grew up in a foster family and at 20 moved to Stockholm where he studied architecture and design at the Högre Konstindustriella Skolan (now the University of Arts, Crafts & Design). Although he dropped out when his foster father died, he went on to work for some of the largest furniture manufacturers in Sweden during the 1920s.
Hjorth’s work was featured in the 1923 Gothenburg Exhibition world’s fair, and he exhibited a birch and cherry cabinet in the 1927 “Swedish Contemporary Decorative Arts” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His role as the head of the furniture department at Nordiska Kompaniet (NK), an upscale department store in Stockholm, from 1927 to 1938, further brought his designs to widespread acclaim, including pieces exhibited at the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition.
At the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition, an influential event in the emergence of functionalism in Swedish design, Hjorth exhibited a dozen room settings that featured examples of sportstugemöbler. These furniture lines were named for islands in Sweden’s archipelago — Utö, Blidö and Torö — with designs intended for cabins and vacation homes. The use of solid Swedish pine in these pieces revealed a love of traditional rustic furniture while the simple forms boldly looked to the future. He also brought his eclectic influences to armchairs formed from tubular metal, blocky case pieces made from birch and upholstered sofas with neoclassical details, each exuberantly mixing form and function.
Find vintage Axel Einar Hjorth furniture today on 1stDibs.
1930s Swedish Baroque Revival Tiled Table, Axel Einar Hjorth, Nordiska Kompaniet
By Axel Einar Hjorth, Nordiska Kompaniet
Located in Uccle, BE
Rare Art Deco piece, coffee table with beautiful spiral legs made of red beech and black tiles with gold motif. Dimensions for this table with turned legs of red beech is H 56 x W5...
Beech
$111,231
H 29.14 in W 66.93 in D 21.66 in
Utö Library Table by Axel Einar Hjorth for Nordiska Kompaniet, Sweden, 1932
By Axel Einar Hjorth, Nordiska Kompaniet
Located in Hønefoss, 30
Rare and authentic Utö library table designed by Axel Einar Hjorth, manufactured by Nordiska Kompaniet, Sweden, 1932. Wear consistent with age and use, including surface scratches, m...
Pine
Axel Einar Hjorth, Console Table, Wood, Marble, Sweden, 1930s
By Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in High Point, NC
A dark-stained wood and marble console table, model "Caesar" designed by Axel Einar Hjorth and produced by Nordiska Kompaniet, c. 1935. Wear consistent with age and use. Replaced ma...
Marble
$36,775
H 27.56 in W 70.87 in D 23.63 in
Scandinavian Modern "Skoga" Dining Table, Axel Einar Hjorth, Nk, Sweden, 1930s
By NK (Nordiska Kompaniet), Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Rustic “Skoga” dining table by Axel Einar Hjorth, made from pine. Chunky rounded lines.
Pine
$76,105
H 18.9 in W 27.96 in D 22.05 in
An Authentic Utö table by Axel Einar Hjorth for Nordiska Kompaniet, Sweden 1932
By Axel Einar Hjorth, Nordiska Kompaniet
Located in Hønefoss, 30
A rare and authentic version of the iconic Utö table designer Axel Einar Hjorth, manufactured by Nordiska Kompaniet, Sweden 1932. This particular Utö represents one of the rarer and...
Pine
$21,947
H 29.93 in W 68.9 in D 25.6 in
"Corall" Dining Table/Desk, Axel Einar Hjorth, Nordiska Kompaniet, Sweden, 1930s
By Axel Einar Hjorth, NK (Nordiska Kompaniet)
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Elegant 1930s library / dining table or desk by Axel Einar Hjorth, from the “Corall” series. Clean, compact lines. Made from birch with darker wood inlays and details.
Birch
$31,018
H 19.89 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Early Swedish Mid Century Wooden Side "Lövö" Table by Axel Einar Hjorth, 1930s
By Nordiska Kompaniet, Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Stockholm, SE
A very rare and early Swedish mid century modern squared wooden table model "Lovö" in stained pine designed by Axel Einar Hjorth and produced by Nordiska Kompaniet in Stockholm, 1932...
Pine
"Utö" Console Table, Axel Einar Hjorth, NK, Sweden, 1930s
By NK (Nordiska Kompaniet), Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
“Utö” console table, made in pine by Axel Einar Hjorth. An iconic early modernist design. “Utö” is one of the series of furniture included in NK:s “Sporstugemöbler”, “sports cabin’s...
Pine
$26,669
H 28.35 in W 71.07 in D 29.73 in
Axel Einar Hjorth Lovö Table Nordiska Kompaniet, Sweden, 1932
By Axel Einar Hjorth, NK (Nordiska Kompaniet)
Located in London, GB
A Swedish Pine Lovö dining table designed by Axel Einar Hjorth (1888–1959) for Nordiska Kompaniet in the 1930s. A major contributor to the country’s burgeoning design culture that wa...
Wood
$2,800
H 29.53 in W 58.47 in D 35.44 in
Axel Einar Hjorth, Dining Table in Birch, Swedish Grace, Bodafors, 1930s
By Bodafors, Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Odense, DK
An extravagant Swedish Grace dining table from the early 20th century, crafted in dark birch veneer with finely carved details. The table features a richly decorated apron and legs w...
Birch
$19,313
H 29.14 in W 49.22 in D 25.6 in
Rare Swedish Wooden Pine Desk by Axel Einar Hjorth for Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930s
By NK (Nordiska Kompaniet), Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Stockholm, SE
A very rare and most likely unique Swedish mid century modern wooden desk model "Värmdö" in solid stained pine with five sliding drawers at the front and adjustable shelves on the op...
Pine
$22,597
H 29.53 in W 51.58 in D 29.53 in
Axel Einar Hjorth - Lovö Table, Pine - Nordiska Kompaniet - Mid Century Modern
By Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Hasselt, VLI
Special edition of the Lovö table - Nordiska Kompaniet, attributed to Axel Einar Hjorth. The table was used in a Restaurant furnished by Nordiska Kompaniet in the 1930s, together wit...
Pine
$65,000
H 18.9 in W 27.56 in D 21.65 in
Axel Einar Hjorth low table from “Utö” series, Nordiska Kompaniet
By NK (Nordiska Kompaniet), Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in New York, NY
A sculptural low table by Axel Einar Hjorth’s from “Utö” series, Nordiska Kompaniet, Crca 1932. These collection, named after the island of Utö in the Stockholm archipelago, was desi...
Pine
Utö Table by Axel Einar Hjorth for Nordiska Kompaniet
By Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Very rare UTO side table in laminated pine by Axel Einar Hjorth circa 1930's. Documented in Axel Einar Hjorth: Möbelarkitekt, Björk, Ekström and Eric...
A "Charles" Table by Axel Einar Hjorth for Nordiska Kompaniet
By Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Long Island City, NY
A "Charles" table by Axel Einar Hjorth for Nordiska Kompaniet. Circa 1933. Oak and ceramic tiles. Turned legs. NK Label with numbers attached. L 32", w 20", h 26.75". This m...