Orrefors glassworks

History

The Orrefors glassworks were founded in 1898 on the site of an older iron works. Up until 1913, the company produced mainly window glass and bottles. When Consul Johan Ekman bought the factory in 1913, Orrefors started to produce drinking glasses, vases and other house-ware items. Ekman hired the brothers Eugen and Knut Bergkvist, who had worked at Kosta Boda before, as well as Fritz Blomqvist and Heinrich Wollman. Wollman originated from Bohemia, which had a long tradition in glassmaking. The first attempts at art glass making were in the style of the at the time famous French glassworks such Daum and Gallé.

A similar technique was devised in 1936 which trapped air within the walls of the glass. This was known as Ariel, a name of a character in Shakespeare's play The Tempest. A major influence of theirs was the Art Nouveau work of the French artist Émile Gallé. Their designs use characteristic clean lines of brilliant crystal that suggests a frozen liquid. Their work was greatly admired when it was displayed to a wide audience at the Paris Exhibition of 1925.

In addition to individual pieces of crystal, the company made crystal stemware. The glass house came to be a leading producer during the interwar period. In more recent times the factory has also become noted for its chandelier-making. Many of the older designs are still produced today.

Present

Orrefors announced a collaboration with fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. The first collection was launched in spring 2011 under the name “Orrefors by Karl Lagerfeld”.

Notable works

Designers at Orrefors