Bröderna Erikssons Möbelverkstad (The Eriksson Brothers' Furniture Workshop) (book)

The brothers Ola, Karl and Elis Eriksson took over their father's joinery in 1891 and founded Bröderna Erikssons Möbelverkstad in Arvika. All were well trained, and the workshop could take on advanced commissions. They engaged craftsmen, artists, smiths and weavers, and from this grew the applied art of a new era. Artists of the Rackstad group were commissioned; Gustaf Fjæstad designed furniture, and Björn Ahlgrensson and Maja Fjæstad designed marquetry patterns.

Remarkably, in the male-dominated world of the time, the brothers also let several women apprentice at the workshop, such as Nanna Johansen, daughter of the Skagen painter Viggo Johansen. Younger brother Christian, with 20 years in international settings and art training in Paris, was a strong addition. A recognized sculptor, he had many contacts in Stockholm's upper class and new bourgeoisie. Orders poured in, and the workshop delivered finished furniture by train to Stockholm and elsewhere. Christian also received a large sculpture commission for Kiruna Church.

The four brothers' deep knowledge and wide network produced truly unique furniture that is now part of Sweden's finest cultural heritage. They introduced their own version of what would later be called Jugendstil. A key to their success was their social skill and ability to collaborate, with the great architects and planners of the time as partners and the style-conscious upper class and new bourgeoisie as customers.

Prince Eugen, Nils Kreuger, Karl-Otto and Eva Bonnier, Ernest Thiel, Pontus Fürstenberg, Hjalmar Lundbohm and Carl Laurin are some of the key figures. Designers of furniture made in Taserud included Carl Westman, Ragnar Östberg, Axel Lindegren and Elis Benkert. The book is in Swedish.