Lena Larsson
{{This|the Swedish interior designer|the Swedish contralto who sang as Lena Larsson|Lena Larsson (singer)}}Image:Lena Larsson 1940.jpg
Lena Larsson, (née Rabenius; 31 July 1919 – 4 April 2000), was a Swedish interior designer, known as a pioneer for the unconventional, family-friendly environments she created, and for the 1960s modern wear-and-tear ideal.{{cite book |first=Lena |last=Larsson |year=1991 |title=Varje människa är ett skåp |location=Höganäs |publisher=Bra böcker |isbn=978-91-7160-990-8}} She was married in 1940 to architect Mårten Larsson and they had four children.Dalén, Uno (redaktör) (1961–1967). "Band 8, Lena Larsson". Bonniers lexikon. Stockholm: AB Nordiska Uppslagsböcker. Page 1216. Libris 8198071 She was a member of the Rabenius family belonging to the Swedish nobility.
Biography
Larsson was born Lena Rabenius in 1919 in Tranås. She trained as a cabinetmaker at the Carl Malmstens school of craftsmanship.{{cite web|url=http://www.liljevalchs.se/utstallningar/homesweethome/lena-larsson/|title=Lena Larsson|publisher=Liljevalchs konsthall|accessdate=29 November 2015|archive-date=8 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208134313/http://www.liljevalchs.se/utstallningar/homesweethome/lena-larsson/|url-status=dead}} After that she worked for cabinetmaker Elias Svedberg, with whom she designed furniture.{{cite web|url=http://www.ravjagarn.se/blogg/2014/04/svedberg-och-larsson-heminredning/|title=Svedberg och Larsson: Heminredning|publisher=Rävjägarn|accessdate=29 November 2015|archive-date=8 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208100659/http://www.ravjagarn.se/blogg/2014/04/svedberg-och-larsson-heminredning/|url-status=live}} In the early 1940s, she was employed by Svenska Slöjdföreningen (now Svensk Forum) and Svenska Arkitekters Riksförbund to make a survey of peoples' home lives.{{cite book |first=Hedvig |last=Hedqvist |year=2007 |title=Svensk form internationell design |location=Stockholm |publisher=Bokförlaget DN |isbn=9789175887586}}{{cite web|url=http://www.alba.nu/Alba4_00/lena.html|title=Lena Larsson: Varje människa är ett skåp.|publisher=Alba.nu|accessdate=29 November 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064119/http://www.alba.nu/Alba4_00/lena.html|url-status=live}} She interviewed housewives about how they were using their homes during the early 1940s. The results of the survey were to be used as a template for the building of convenient homes after the Second World War.
At Hälsingborgsmässan H55, she, together with architects Anders-William Olsson and Mårten Larsson, created the one-family house Skal och kärna.Åström, Johan (number 8, 2007). "Lena Larsson – slitstark livsstilspionjär". Pensionären. From 1956 until 1960, she was the chief editor of the home decoration magazine Allt i hemmet. As an artistic leader in the Nordiska Kompaniet (The Nordic Company) store, NK-bo, she used her knowledge to create home design solutions for the simplification of domestic lifestyles. Larssen, together with her colleagues Svedborg and Erik Worts, designed the TRIVA line of furniture which won a contest held by the Swedish Society of Crafts & Design. It was launched by NK in 1944 and was noted for its inexpensiveness and versatility. It was the first of its kind,{{Cite book |last=Banham |first=Joanna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DVKhCAAAQBAJ&dq=lena+larsson+nordiska+kompaniet&pg=PT3938 |title=Encyclopedia of Interior Design |date=1997-05-01 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-78757-7 |language=en |access-date=2023-02-22 |archive-date=2024-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216152051/https://books.google.com/books?id=DVKhCAAAQBAJ&dq=lena+larsson+nordiska+kompaniet&pg=PT3938#v=onepage&q=lena%20larsson%20nordiska%20kompaniet&f=false |url-status=live }} predating the similar IKEA brand of knock-down furniture.{{Cite book |last=Brunnström |first=Lasse |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h1twDwAAQBAJ&dq=lena+larsson+nordiska+kompaniet&pg=PA77 |title=Swedish Design: A History |date=2018-10-18 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-350-00013-1 |pages=77 |language=en |access-date=2023-02-22 |archive-date=2023-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129060408/https://books.google.com/books?id=h1twDwAAQBAJ&dq=lena+larsson+nordiska+kompaniet&pg=PA77 |url-status=live }} NK-bo and NK-bo NU was a special store within NK between 1947 and 1956, and from 1961 to 1965, which sold cheap and experimental furniture for the entire family. It also became a forum for ideas and products to be tested by young designers. By this means she opened the way for both established and new designers and furniture makers. Larsson also taught home planning courses.{{Cite book |last=Farr |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=igE-AAAAIAAJ&dq=lena+larsson+nordiska+kompaniet&pg=PA161 |title=Design in British Industry: A Mid-century Survey |date=1953 |publisher=CUP Archive |pages=161 |language=en |access-date=2023-02-22 |archive-date=2024-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216152047/https://books.google.com/books?id=igE-AAAAIAAJ&dq=lena+larsson+nordiska+kompaniet&pg=PA161#v=onepage&q=lena%20larsson%20nordiska%20kompaniet&f=false |url-status=live }}
References
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Further reading
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External links
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Category:Swedish furniture designers