Kosta Boda Designers

Bertil Vallien

Bertil Vallien is by far the most internationally celebrated glass artist and designer in Sweden. He has received numerous awards and his work is well represented in leading museums around the world. He works in a mythical, dream-like world of symbolic imagery. He undertakes what he himself describes as a never-ending research quest, in close cooperation with his co-workers at Åfors glassworks, several of whom have worked with Vallien for decades. Bertil Vallien is known most of all as the master of sand moulding. His solid, deep-blue, four-meter-long ship has become part of modern glass history. His creations include Château, one of the best-selling ranges of handmade glasses over the years

Kjell Engman

A tirelessly productive visual artist with unbounded imagination and a passion for narrative, who finds free expression through both utility glass and art glass. Kjell Engman gets his inspiration from the most diverse sources, not least from the animal kingdom and the world of music and entertainment. He often works on large installations in which he also combines elements of sound and light. Kjell Engman is frequently commissioned for public works both in Sweden and abroad.

Anna Ehrner

An experimental and minimalistic stylist, Anna Ehrners work is distinguished by simple yet powerful shapes and an ability to achieve colourful displays using colour in subtle ways. Veils of colour inside the glass have become something of Anna Ehrner's trademark, as have the lofty different coloured stalks that are characteristic of her art glass. She is also the originator of best-selling collections such as our Line glasses and the Contrast series of bowls.

Ulrica Hydman-Vallien

Ulrica Hydman-Vallien is one of Sweden's best known glass artists, whose unmistakable figures have embellished a variety of things such as mobile phones and the tails of aeroplanes. Ulrica Hydman-Vallien's most important form of expression is her powerful imagery. She paints her striking and humorous designs straight onto the glass with free and unrestrained energy. She made her breakthrough with Caramba and Open Minds, followed by her popular Tulipa range.

Goran Warff

Few, if any, have such a deep feeling for the glass melt as Goran Warff, who has always shown special interest in preserving the traditional skills of the master craftsmen in glassblowing and glass cutting. The play of light within the clear volume of the glass and the endless optical phenomena that occur as the glass diffracts the light are a recurring theme in Goran Warff's art and design work. Nature and the play of light in nature are his other main sources of inspiration, beyond the glass itself.

Olle Brozen

Strong stylised patterns, organic decorations and playful, almost naïve, subjects, are distinguishing characteristics of Olle Brozen's designs. He gained inspiration from working as a glassblower in Japan, and the influence of Japanese woodcuts is clearly visible in his first sketches for Kosta Boda: a series of patterns inspired by nature. Brozén has attracted attention with his simple, powerful shapes that give free rein to his expressive patterns and decorations.

Ludvig Lofgren

"Before enrolling at the University College of Arts Crafts and Design in Stockholm, Ludvig Löfgren worked as a glass blower, an experience that gave him both perspective and understanding of glass. His constant search for challenges often results in hours of experimenting, both in the studio and in the hotshop. With his substantial knowledge of glass and artistic talent, he shatters many limits in the Kingdom of Crystal with its fine traditions. Ludvig Löfgren gathers inspiration from many different genres, including everything from the fashion world to tattooing techniques. His artistic expression is youthful and filled with attitude, but at the same time it is brutally conscious. His first limited edition skull Vanitas Disco has already attracted a new target group to Kosta Boda."

Asa Jungnelius

Asa Jungnelius was born in Stockholm and has been retained by Kosta Boda as a designer since 2007. She is fascinated by the way the value of an object is created and what it conveys about us and our world. She is continually challenging the establishment by questioning the structural norms of society. The resulting creations are razor sharp comments. Asa Jungnelius art spans a wide spectrum, covering issues such as aesthetic hierarchies, fashion, shopping, decadence and construction of gender. References that are all clearly expressed in the collections Jackie and Make Up. Products Art glass Movie Sugar Dandy

Ernst Billgren

Ernst Billgren is one of Sweden's most noteworthy contemporary artists. Over the years he has become renowned for his outstanding artistic work, in which mythology, nature and national romanticism have been significant sources of inspiration. Besides painting and sculpture, Billgren has also expressed his artistic diversity in fields such as scenography, literature, film, music, furniture design and glass design.

Jakob Solgren

Jakob Solgren was born in 1976 and lives in Stockholm, Sweden. Jakob is extremely interested in, and has extensive knowledge of design and form and is currently studying for a Master's degree at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. With his upbringing in the province of Småland and close proximity to the countryside and the glass industry, Jakob's Hills series may have been part of his subconscious design world for a long time. Hills symbolises an escapism inspired by both cartoons and real life. Hills can be either a cloud or a soft and warm friend. "To me, hills is the place where the rainbow never disappears” says Jakob.

Orrefors Designers

Martti Rytkonen

Martti Rytkonen's glass collections always reflect the true spirit of Orrefors – even when he experiments with shape and glassmaking techniques. He is fascinated by the possibilities of glass and likes to form the clear crystal into objects with a narrative.He aims to tell us something about the material, how it can be soft, strong and light, at the same time as heavy and hard. Martti thinks that glass is sensual and pleasing. We understand what he means when we see his crystal creations that can have the simplest shapes imaginable, without being hard or formal.

Ingegerd Raman

Ingegerd Raman is one of the prominent figures in Swedish design. Timelessness and simplicity are the key words in her work. Her artistry is not showy, yet right on the mark, and she makes objects that she herself likes. Her creations are utility items focusing on food, drink and the set table. Ingegerd Raman is one of the prominent figures in Swedish design. Timelessness and simplicity are the key words in her work. Her artistry is not showy, yet right on the mark, and she makes objects that she herself likes. Her creations are utility items focusing on food, drink and the set table. She aims to streamline and focus her designs, yet retain a feeling of pleasure and beauty in the object; otherwise simplicity and streamlining become a pitfall. "A jar with a lid is a jar with a lid, but there has to be warmth, thought, an idea and poetry behind it," Ingegerd explains.

Erika Lagerbielke

Erika Lagerbielke is the queen of Orrefors stemware. No other designer has created as many series of stemware for Orrefors and no one has matched her success in doing so. Her successes include Intermezzo, Merlot and Difference, which have all received fine accolades for their designs. The key to Erika's success is probably her great love of glassmaking craftsmanship and her knowledge of the different characteristics of various drinks. When creating new series, Erika also likes to work with wine experts. Her latest stemware series, Divine, is the Orrefors celebration of the Royal Wedding in 2010.

Lena Bergstrom

Lena Bergstrom is one of Sweden's most award-winning and productive designers. Utility glass, art glass, lighting, textiles, jewellery and decoration of public spaces, such as the Orrefors Crystal Bar – nothing seems impossible for Lena. With an infectious personality and love of the materials and craftsmanship, she approaches each assignment with the same energy. Lena's visual vocabulary is like her: soft, hard, feminine, masculine, modern and beautiful – all at the same time. She always bases her work on the properties of the material and constantly tries to find new forms of expression in cooperation with the skilled glassmakers at Orrefors.

Efva Attling

Efva Attling made her first piece of jewellery when she was 11 years old. Today her own brand, Efva Attling Stockholm, has stores throughout the world. Her products for Orrefors combine the best of modern silversmith work with classic and innovative glassmaking skills. Efva wants her products to move people and make them think. And by playing with words and expression, she adds another dimension to her designs. She chooses the names of her collections with care and they invite us to reflect upon them. A handmade silver ring around the stem of the glasses, Amor Vincit Omnia (love conquers all), is a symbol of love in both words and design. In her latest collection, Endless, a ring floats deep down in the crystal as a symbol of lifelong love.

Mats Jonasson Designers

Mats Jonassons

Mats Jonasson's talent as a designer attracted attention early on, when he started work as an apprentice engraver at the glassworks in 1959. Over the next few decades he worked with many of the most respected contemporary glass artists in Sweden. During this period, he developed that natural style of his which he's since perfected. Our forest have captured the hearts and minds of people since time immemorial, says Mats. Inspired by the natural world around him, he has opened his mind to create his distinctive masterpieces in the finest Swedish crystal. Nowadays, this son of the glassworks is represented all over the world.