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History of Scandinavian Design

Scandinavian design emerged in the 1950's in the three Scandinavian countries Denmark, Norway and Sweden, as well as Finland. The idea that beautiful and functional everyday objects should not only be affordable to the wealthy, but to all, is a core theme in line with prevailing democratic social views during these times. This trend of modernism and functionalism combined with new low-cost materials and methods of mass-production becoming available after the second world war has greatly influenced what we call Scandinavian Design today.

Prior to 1900, the nordic countries drew largely on national folklore for their decorative inspiration, especially in Norway, where Viking-revival imagery enjoyed great popularity. Although many are familiar with the Scandinavian style of the 1950's, the world first became aware of the Nordic arts and crafts movement when many such works were exhibited at the 1897 Stockholm Exhibition of Arts and Industries followed by the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Of particular success were the works of the Swedish Rörstrand porcelain factory, a firm excelling in a painterly repertory of radiant flowers sculpted in shallow relief by such artist-designers as Alf Wallander and Nils Erik Lundström who took nationalistic pride in turning native flora and fauna into three-dimensional vessels of exceptional beauty.

The thread running through Scandinavian design is functionalism. For hundreds of years, the need for products to just work was ingrained in the Scandinavian soul. It hadn’t been very long since this was a requirement for survival. The focus was on “need,” or function, not on decoration or beauty.

Mass machine production did not dominate Scandinavia as much in the years between the two World Wars as it did in the US. The scale of the industry was much smaller, and after World War II more Scandinavian countries established institutions and schools to preserve the craft traditions. Processes derived from the crafts were integrated into commercial production, creating what became known as the industrial arts.

There are few countries today – if any – which continue to produce as many vintage designs as the Scandinavian countries, testimony to their timelessness, practicality and to the well-deserved argument they transcend the vagaries of fashion. 

References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_design
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/06/13/the-story-of-scandinavian-design-combining-function-and-aesthetics/
http://www.minnesota.institute.art.museum/modernism/e_SM.html