Karin Bergoo Larsson and the Emergence of Swedish Design - by Marge Thorell (Paperback)

About the Book

"Karin Bergèoèo Larsson (1859-1928) was a mother of eight and wife to Sweden's beloved painter, Carl Larsson. She was herself a well-regarded artist but gave it up when she married, at the request of her husband. Replacing paintbrushes and canvas with needles and cloth, she turned a somewhat ugly cottage into a designer showcase"--

Book Synopsis

Identified as "the first designer of what would become known as Swedish Modern" by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., Karin Bergoo Larsson (1859-1928) was a mother of eight and wife to Sweden's beloved painter, Carl Larsson. Herself a well-regarded artist, she gave up painting when she married, at the request of her husband. Taking up needles and cloth, she then turned a somewhat ugly cottage--Lilla Hyttnas in the tiny village of Sundborn, Sweden--into a designer showcase.

Inspired by the Swedish countryside, she filled the home with handcrafted wall hangings, bed coverings, tablecloths, pillow covers and even furniture of her own design, while greatly influencing her husband's work by encouraging him to move away from dark oils to more illuminating and light-filled watercolors. His paintings of their home made her interior designs famous, and her influence continues to inform the concepts of retail giant IKEA.

About the Author

Marge Thorell is the vice president of a digital pharmaceutical advertising agency and has written a number of articles about Karin and Carl Larsson and Sweden. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.