A large part of the production today is manufactured so far from the consumer that there is no connection to the production. That there have historically been direct connections between an industry and the people, local traditions and material assets of the place is easily forgotten. The thesis makes these relationships visible through an artistic exploration conducted through a combination of materials, form,craft, image and text. The starting point in the thesis is the design and documentation of Masonite, which the design duo Folkform worked on for more than a decade. Masonite has become synonymous with an entire range of different types of fibreboard. This investigation takes its starting point in sheets of the Masonite brand, spelled with a capital “M” and a lowercase “e” at the end, a wood fibre material invented by William H. Mason in the United States in the 1920s.

Folkform’s pleated table lamp has previously been shown in other versions, but never in patterns and fabrics by Josef Frank and Svenskt Tenn. The collection includes fixtures and lamp shades in Josef Frank’s classic patterns Aristidia (1920s), Brazil (1940s) and Poisons (1940s), as well as with monochrome variations in Svenskt Tenn’s own linen fabric. Brazil has one of the largest pattern repeats amongst Josef Frank’s patterns, which gives every lamp its own print composition. {---}

Folkform’s work is both inspired by and challenges traditional manufacturing techniques. The Blue Tapestry Artworks are no exception. They draw on the Wilton carpet, a type of woven textile developed in 18th-Century England. These are made using a single backing, often jute, woven around the pile yarn. The Blue Tapestry Artworks subvert this tradition by combining jute with a blue wool yarn and bringing it to the front of the textile. The resulting tapestries see rich ultramarine intersect with the beige of jute. Subtle gradations of colour create a spectrum of different tones. The immateriality of blue meets with earthy, natural shades. {---}

The Masonite Chair is made from original recovered Masonite from 1963, in combination with the last Masonite boards produced in the factory in Rundvik in April 2011. {---}

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FOLKFORM + HJORT: L’ART PLISSÉ
The exhibition L’art plissé focuses on the subtle art of pleating. In it, the design studio Folkform presents a new series of table lamps whose forms are inspired by pleated fashion garments. {---}

As the local community come to swim, we wanted the artwork to remind them of the built environment outside of the pool. The pattern of the mural is an abstracted visualisation of the suburb’s city plan as seen from above. The composition is reminiscent of a topographical map with its town square, a tree-lined avenue, the train track and train station, all represented in different materials.
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In their new interpretation of the tabouret, Folkform’s ambition is to challenge the classic shape drawn by Bruno Mathsson by means of combining materials and techniques in new ways. {---}

After five years of renovations, the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm is reopening with updated galleries, and a new-look museum restaurant and retail space. When it now opens its doors to the public, design studio Folkform is proud to reveal Patchwork; a specially commissioned leather bench that will grace the museum’s galleries and entrance lobby.
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The bench has a dark-stained wood base with a seat upholstered in leather. While the design at first appears strict, Folkform has taken a playful approach to the leather upholstery and has experimented with a patchwork of different leather upholstery methods from deep-buttoning to plain leather surfaces, combining different traditional techniques in new ways.
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Folkform produced 25 benches for Nationalmuseum and worked closely with the cabinets makers Eriksson & söner, the carpentry workshop in Vrena. {---}

Folkform invited documentary photographer Magnus Laupa to follow the work of the craftsmen in the Örsjö lamp factory. The resulting images will be presented in Örsjö Belysning stand during Stockholm Furniture Fair 2018. Each new piece has been executed by the hands of skilled craftsmen. The most common definition of craft is that it involves the skill of making things by {---}

The exhibition is a unique collaboration between Folkform and the long-established Rönnells bookshop on Birger Jarlsgatan, Stockholm. Folkform have chosen the beautiful rooms of the venerable bookshop for the exhibition of their new book cases, a place filled with books from floor to ceiling, where they will put their new sculptural bookcases on show for the first time.
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The rectangular cases sit on cylindrical bases, which rotate so books can be accessed from every angle. The bookcases come in different heights, the smaller archiver can be placed on a table or desk. {---}

Each is made from blocks of Ytong aerated concrete, a lightweight material with a matte surface that disguises a highly porous inner structure. {---}

The new Skyline Wall light was designed in 2014. The series comes in white powder-coated aluminium, as well as brass and cortén steel. The wall light can be used for both indoor and outdoor areas. {---}

The patterns were created during a workshop with the children at the school.
Vansta 2013 {---}

The Skyline lamp series is designed by Folkform. The lamp is inspired by the architecture of different suburban districts of Stockholm. {---}

For the candle collage collection FOLKFORM collaborated with a brass foundry on the south coast of Sweden. {---}

The latest stop on Folkform’s journey through the Swedish manufacturing industry has been {---}

The cabinets are made from original recovered Masonite from 1929, in combination with the last {---}

For this unique textile Folkform collaborated with the material scientists at the Institute of Technology in Stockholm. {---}

An old book is not just literature but often a hand crafted artefact in itself.
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This road trip went to the Tärnsjö leather Tannery established in 1857. {---}

Masonite cabinets exclusively for Svenskt Tenn. {---}

Folkform is committed to working with local manufacturers. For the Bronze Cabinet collection {---}

Natural flowers have been inserted into the huge masonite presses to embed a permanent organic decoration. {---}

New interpretations of today’s standard materials {---}

For this collection FOLKFORM collaborated with a brass foundry on the south coast of Sweden. The duo is committed to working with local manufacturers
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When the last Masonite factory in Sweden closed in 2011, Masonite became a historical and cultural heritage. The thesis portrays the collaboration between designers and craftsmen in various workshops, mainly within the Swedish manufacturing industry. It highlights the importance of a design process close to production and shows the many relationships hidden behind the product’s creation process.

The book can be purchased by Konstigbooks at https://konstigbooks.com/design-crafts/anna-lovisa-holmquist-produktionsnoveller.html
or email us at
info@folkform.se. {---}

Traditional pleating techniques in focus when Folkform presents new collection for Svenskt Tenn. {---}

The Blue Tapestry Artworks are presented alongside images by documentary photographer Magnus Laupa charting the manufacturing process. At a time when the heritage of small-scale, local industry is threatened by global mass production, the proximity to the manufacturing processes presented in The Blue Tapestries becomes even more meaningful. {---}

The Masonite Chair is a collaboration between the iconic Swedish interior architect Åke Axelsson and Folkform. The chair is inspired by an experimental design by Åke Axelsson from 1978, he then made several interpretations of a Marcel Breuer chair ”Ti3a”. {---}

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All lamps for sale through Folkform, first edition and studio produced please contact us for more information at info@folkform.se {---}

The Stockholm-based design studio Folkform has completed a permanent installation for the public indoor swimming pool in Spånga, outside of Stockholm. The mural, that runs along the short end of the pool, features a decorative composition crafted from ceramic tiles and old vintage glass. The wall comprises over 1000 individual glass and ceramic pieces and the design is inspired by the town plan of Spånga as seen from above. {---}

The classic stool Anna was initially designed in 1945 by Bruno Mathsson, one of Sweden’s most internationally known designers. {---}

Revolving bookcase are for sale through Folkform, limited edition and studio produced. {---}

Revolving bookcase are for sale through Folkform, limited edition and studio produced. {---}

Folkform worked with the master upholsterer Sara Lindqvist to develop the different upholstery methods, ranging from the nineteenth century to minimalist styles from the beginning of the twentieth century. {---}

Libreria lamp is now in production by Örsjö Belysning.
Folkform have worked with objects closely related to books and literature for some time now, one example beeing the revolving bookcases for Svenskt tenn. The new Folkform floor and table lamp is titled the Libreria lamp since it was first designed for an exhibition in an old bookbinders workshop in Milan. {---}

A new series of revolving bookcases and archivers designed by Folkform were launched during Stockholm design week. The exhibition was hosted at Rönnells antique booksellers. {---}

During the opening night, artist and author Carl Johan De Geer was reading from a book in the revolving bookcase. Carl Johan is an example to us , we are inspired by his artistry and we admire his writing. We wanted the bookcase to provide a home for his texts and invited him to read, said Folkform

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The arches very from tall to big, rounded to flat, narrow to wide. In the shadow of each arch one of the participating designers has been invited… {---}

The new Skyline bar pendant light can be used as a solitaire light or in arrangements in groups. The sculptural light is designed for public areas and interiors. {---}

Commission for the National Public Art Council.
Vansta, 2013
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In collaboration with the lamp factory in Örsjö, Folkform examine the opportunities of the metallic colour palette, from highly polished brass to oxidised copper. {---}

For the candle collage simple tea light candles are placed side by side with pillar candles to create a landscape of candle typologies. {---}

The result is a series of candle- sticks made in limestone and hand-finished by stone mason Björn Johansson at Gillberga. {---}

Furniture line and exhibition of Masonite cabinets designed exclusively for Svenskt Tenn by the Folkform design duo. {---}

Art Installation at the Royal Institute of Technology.
Commission 2013
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The new Folkform bookends are the first objects in the new collection based on the research process that began in the Hagströmer library in Stockholm. {---}

Launch of a new furniture line and exhibition of leather benches exclusively for Skandium. {---}

Masonite Chest with 9 drawers. {---}

For the Bronze Cabinet collection FOLKFORM collaborated with a brass foundry on the south {---}

For this new furniture range Folkform invited collectors to take part in the design process.
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The collection Unique Standard, questions our perception of various materials. {---}

The inspiration for the wall light pieces is a series of experimental paintings and prints by Josef Albers called ”Homage to the square” {---}