Scandinavian-style design is historically known for its incorporation of natural materials such as wood, leather, and local fibers. Designs are organic and closely connected to the world around them. From the 1930s to the 1970s, a handful of designers carved out a niche of finely crafted art, decor, and architecture, their names now synonymous with Scandinavian design. Scandinavian Style Infographic

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Alvar Aalto

His work now referred to as Scandinavian Modern, Alvar Aalto was recognized for designing not just buildings, but entire interiors including furniture, lighting, and glassware. The “savoy vase” debuted in 1936. Its name came from its use within the elegant Savoy restaurant, and it’s claimed that Aalto best described it as a water puddle.  

Arne Jacobsen

Jacobsen brought the Paris chair to the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs, where it won a silver medal. In 1951 he also designed the Ant chair, which had three steel legs (and later four). This intriguingly simple chair was designed for a Danish healthcare company.

Borge Mogensen

Borge studied at the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts and the School of Furniture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts from 1938–41, studying under the esteemed Kaare Klint through 1968. Mogensen helped popularize the “Danish Modern” style of design and commonly used wood as his medium. His most popularly noted designs include the Spanish Chair and the Spokeback Sofa.  

Hans J. Wegner

Hans J. Wegner is credited as the driver behind the Danish Modern style. Designing over 500 chairs, Hans is famous for his organic, soft designs and perfectly crafted joints. Inspired by Chinese chairs from the Ming dynasty, he designed his first China Chair in 1944 and crafted his most successful design, the Wishbone Chair, in 1949. Today, almost every major design museum across the world features his work.  

Verner Panton

Verner Panton gained fame through his geometric furniture designs and brilliant colors. Verner became famous for his fusion of room elements into a total work of art, most notably his ‘Visiona’ ship installations at the Cologne Furniture Fair, the Spiegel publishing headquarters in Hamburg, and the Varna restaurant in Aarhus. Panton and Vitra collaborated in the early 1960s and together developed the recognizable Panton Chair in 1967.  

Poul Henningsen

Poul Henningsen is most famous for his lighting designs, and today’s lighting practices still follow his trademark foundations. Poul designed the PH-lamp in 1925, and he is best known for the PH-Artichoke and PH5. Henningsen is considered by many to be the innovator of modern lighting and can be credited with over 100 lighting designs.  

Maija Isola

Maija Isola is a famous Finnish designer, best known for her 1964 Unikko design pattern. As the head designer of Marimekko’s interior fabrics until 1987, her body of work includes over 500 prints. Inspired by traditional nature, folk art, and modern art, Maija’s most recognizable print can still be found throughout modern culture.