NK furniture – unique exhibition opens at Sörmland Museum

– Production at NK’s workshops was an important chapter in Swedish design history. We are now presenting this as a complete narrative for the first time, says exhibition curator Lena Landerberg.

AB Nordiska Kompaniet was founded in 1902. Two years later – in 1904 – the workshops in Nyköping opened, and this is where furniture production for NK took place. It continued until 1973, when operations ceased and the final workshop staff vacated the premises. Shortly thereafter the buildings were torn down.

– Barely any trace remains, says Lena. However, the actual furniture lives on and with it memories of the skilled artisans and renowned designers associated with Nordiska Kompaniet’s furniture workshops.

In a display area of 400 m2, Sörmland Museum will be showcasing more than 150 items of furniture, from exclusive pieces exhibited at World Expos in the 1920s and 1930s to the popular Triva range. The collection also includes some of Sweden’s most renowned furniture classics.

All the furniture in this exhibition was made in Nyköping. A third of the items come from Sörmland Museum’s own collection, while the other two thirds are on loan from institutions such as Stockholm Public Library and Stockholm City Hall, as well as several museums throughout Sweden. Fifteen of the pieces are on loan from private individuals.

– We got in touch with private collectors, who have loaned us some totally unique items of furniture, which in a number of cases have never been on public display before, says Lena.

Facts about NK’s workshops

AB Nordiska Kompaniet was founded in 1902. Two years later – in 1904 – the workshops in Nyköping opened, and this is where furniture production for NK took place.

The workforce expanded rapidly, and at their peak around 500 persons worked here. The workshops attracted skilled craftspeople – including carpenters, metalworkers, sculptors, polishers and gilders – from both Sweden and other countries. NK employed Sweden’s foremost architects and designers, such as Carl Bergsten, Axel Einar Hjorth, Kerstin Hörlin-Holmquist, Carl Hörvik and Elias Svedberg.

The workshops produced light fittings, boats, aircraft, sledges and cars, but what was made here in the main was furniture and interior furnishings. Initially, these were expensive, ornate pieces for an exclusive target group, but later NK was the first in Sweden to offer self-assembly, flat-pack furniture. There were also many large and prestigious interior design projects – including Konserthuset Stockholm and several rooms at the City Hall in Stockholm.

In 1973, operations ceased at NK’s workshops in Nyköping.

Preview on 8 March

The exhibition opens at Sörmland Museum, Tolagsgatan 8 in Nyköping on Saturday 11 March.

The press are invited to a preview, including breakfast, on Wednesday 8 March at 10–11.30. A free bus service will be departing from Stockholm at 08:45, and returning at 12:00.

If you wish to attend, please contact Marketing Officer Malén Eneberg, +46 (0)72-083 87 71, malen.eneberg@regionsormland.se by 27 February.

High-resolution photographs can be downloaded here: Sörmlands museum | Mediearkiv (mynewsdesk.com)

The exhibition will be launched with a special opening weekend

On Saturday 11 March and Sunday 12 March, Sörmland Museum will be launching its NK furniture exhibition with a packed programme. In addition to the opening ceremony and talks about design history, there will be free introductions to the exhibition, tours of the town with an NK theme, workshops and entertainment.

A detailed programme for the opening weekend can be found at www.sormlandsmuseum.se/program.

Sörmland Museum publishes the book NK:s möbler

To accompany the exhibition, Sörmland Museum will be publishing NK:s möbler, richly illustrated with new photographs and unique archive material. The book will be available in three versions – with different covers, but the same content.

The book puts the furniture into a design history context and presents the team of people – designers, architects, carpenters and upholsterers – behind some of Sweden’s best-known furniture classics. It takes the reader through trends within design and interior design, consumption patterns and lifestyles and how they have influenced the design process, craft methods and production conditions.

The lead author is Sara Kristoffersson, Professor of design history.

The book will be on sale at a special price at Sörmland Museum on Thursday 9 March, Saturday 11 March and Sunday 12 March. It is available to pre-order now from the museum’s online store.

Facts about NK furniture – the exhibition and the book

Exhibition curator: Lena Landerberg, Sörmland Museum
Lead curator: Mikael Billborn, Sörmland Museum
Exhibition design: Gabriella Lenke and Mattias Ståhlbom, TAF
Graphic design: Moa Sundkvist and Jennifer Bergkvist, Ateljé Grotesk
Author of book and basic exhibition script: Sara Kristoffersson
Book editor: Matilda Stannow
Photographer (new photos): Björn Dahlgren
Partners: Nyköping Municipality and Nordiska Kompaniet AB
The project has received financial support from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, Estrid Ericsons Stiftelse and Stiftelsen Konung Gustav VI Adolfs fond för svensk kultur.

Facts about Sörmland Museum

Sörmland Museum arranges activities throughout Sörmland.

In 2018, the regional museum opened a new museum building at Tolagsgatan 8 in Nyköping, around 100 km south of Stockholm. It houses permanent and temporary exhibitions, study rooms and a library, workshops, a shop, conference rooms, a café and restaurant.

Furthermore, Sörmland Museum employs a unique concept – the museum’s collections are located in the heart of the building, fully visible behind glass walls and accessible to everyone through free guided tours. The collections are also arranged by context – e.g. a person, farm, family, workplace or institution – in order to communicate stories about and by people.

In 2020, Sörmland Museum was named Årets museum (Museum of the Year) by Sveriges Museer and ICOM Sweden.

In 2022, Sörmland Museum was nominated for EMYA – European Museum of the Year Award.

The museum is normally open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:00. Free entry.

Find out more about Sörmland Museum at www.sormlandsmuseum.se

Feel free to get in touch

Lena Landerberg, Exhibition Curator, +46 (0)76-724 91 85, lenakristina.landerberg@regionsormland.se

Malén Eneberg, Marketing Officer, +46 (0)72-083 87 71, malen.eneberg@regionsormland.se