The Swedish design philosophy of “beautiful things for everyday life” is actualized in the vintage glassware of Orrefors. Founded in 1898, this glass manufacturer was one of the leading companies in the Scandinavian modernism movement and is revered by collectors for the fine craftsmanship and innovation of its superlative art glass.
Orrefors began making art glass — works that, distinct from mass-production pieces, are made in small numbers to showcase the skills and talents of artists and artisans — in 1913. Two of the first artists hired by the firm were Simon Gate and Edward Hald, who worked initially in the organic Art Nouveau style, and later proved adept with the geometric imagery of the Art Deco period.
Hald and Gate worked closely with glassblowers to refine traditional glassmaking methods, creating new materials such as "graal" glass. In the graal technique a design made with colored glass is encased in layers of transparent glass, preserving the image while the overall glass form is worked and shaped. Orrefors won an international following when it presented such pieces in Paris in 1925 at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes — the design fair whose name gave rise to the term Art Deco.
In the years following that success, Orrefors attracted more dynamic and experimental artists such as Vicke Lindstrand and Edvin Ohrström, who joined the company in the 1930s. Lindstrand and Ohstrom worked with glassblowers to create the "ariel" glass technique, an innovation that produces deeper, richer imagery that seems to morph and flow as light is refracted by the glass.
As you will see from the items offered on 1stDibs, there is a special aesthetic quality to vintage Orrefors glass. Whether a vase or a set of wine goblets, the work of this premier Swedish company represents the apex of functional artistry.
Pair of Blue Table Lamps by Carl Fagerlund for Orrefors, Sweden, circa 1960s
By Orrefors, Carl Fagerlund
Located in New York, NY
These sleek 1960s table lamps by Carl Fagerlund for Orrefors are made of glass, and contain a transparent substance that gives them their color.
Glass
Table lamp in purple and clear glass by Orrefors, Sweden, 1960s
By Orrefors
Located in Göteborg, SE
Vintage Orrefors Table Lamp, 1960s This elegant table lamp by Orrefors, crafted in the 1960s, features a striking combination of purple and clear glass. The base showcases a vibrant...
Brass
Cylinder crown in crystal and chrome by Orrefors for Tyringe, Sweden, 1960s
By Orrefors, Konsthantverk Tyringe 1
Located in Göteborg, SE
Very beautiful ceiling lamp made of crystal and chrome. The ceiling lamp is designed in an elegant way so that it is beautiful from any direction you look at it. When viewed from bel...
Crystal, Chrome
Vase 'Fabula' Designed by Per B. Sundberg for Orrefors, Sweden, 1998
By Per B. Sundberg, Orrefors
Located in Stockholm, SE
Vase “Fabula” designed by Per B. Sundberg for Orrefors, Sweden. 1998. Paper and glass.
Glass, Paper
White & Orange Vase Designed by Per B. Sundberg for Orrefors, Sweden, 2003
By Per B. Sundberg, Orrefors
Located in Stockholm, SE
Vase designed by Per B. Sundberg for Orrefors, Sweden. 2003. Glass. Dimensions: H: 27 cm/ 10 2/3" D: 18 cm/ 7" Unique. Signed Orrefors 9454-87 Per B Sundberg. Per B. Sundberg grew up in Huddinge, south of Stockholm, where he early showed interest in creative expression, including in textile. Sundberg applied and was accepted to the pottery division at Capellagården in Vickleby 1983-85. In the years 1985-1992 he studied glass and ceramics at Konstfack in Stockholm, with a break in 1988 to study at the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle. Per B Sundberg altered the course of Swedish design in the 1990s with the advent of new techniques and the creation of experimental ceramics...
Glass