Ateljé Glas & Trä - Table lamp - Glass and Teak

Ateljé Glas & Trä, Hovmantorp – rare pair of tall Swedish table lamps – teak veneer & solid structure glass – 1960s

Special and very decorative original pair of tall Swedish Mid-Century Modern table lamps, attributed to Ateljé / AB Glas & Trä from Hovmantorp, Sweden, manufactured around the 1960s.

A pronounced Scandinavian design in which two materials inextricably linked to Swedish modernism – teak wood and glass – are combined in an almost architectural way.

Sculptural construction of glass and teak

The tall lamp bases are built as geometric sculptures. Square elements with warm teak veneer are alternated with heavy, transparent blocks of pressed structural glass.

It is precisely these glass elements that make the design remarkable. The thick blocks have strong relief and ribbed, irregular texture, causing light to break and reflect in different ways.

Because the glass is transparent, the brass-colored metal connecting elements inside the frame remain visible. This creates a beautiful layering of teak, glass and metal.

The square wooden base and the repeating geometric design give the lamps a pronounced Scandinavian Modern / Mid-Century Modern character.

Even without lamp shades they are thus particularly sculptural objects.

Ateljé Glas & Trä – Hovmantorp

The lamps are attributed to Ateljé / AB Glas & Trä from Hovmantorp, located in the famous Swedish glass district Småland.

AB Glas & Trä was founded in 1943 in Hovmantorp. As the name Glas & Trä – literally Glass & Wood – already indicates, the combination of these materials played an important role in production.

During the 1950s and 1960s the company developed further and produced various modernist interior and design objects.

For collectors of Swedish design, the construction of these lamps is particularly interesting. Almost identical tall table lamps are attributed to Ateljé Glas & Trä, Hovmantorp and are also built from pressed square glass elements with ribbed sides, alternating with teak blocks.

Interesting connection with Orrefors

An extra interesting aspect for collectors is that a virtually identical table lamp in the Swedish design trade is also documented as a production of Orrefors.

This is remarkable because Orrefors is one of the most important names in Swedish glass history and during this period also produced glass for lighting.

A possible explanation is that the glass components were supplied by a specialized glass producer and then incorporated into the lamps by Glas & Trä in Hovmantorp. Such collaborations between Swedish glass factories and lighting manufacturers occurred during this period.

For these specific lamps, an official collaboration with Orrefors has not, however, been confirmed by primary documentation. To avoid an unproven attribution, the lamps are offered here as attributed to Ateljé / AB Glas & Trä, Hovmantorp.

An individual designer or a specific model number for this design is not reliably documented at present.

Original Swedish SEMKO S Certification Mark

On the underside sits the characteristic blue S-mark of SEMKO – Svenska Elektriska Materielkontrollanstalten.

This historic Swedish safety mark was applied to electrical products approved for the Swedish market.

A beautiful original detail that further supports the Swedish provenance and vintage ancestry of the lamps.

Special as an original pair

The big plus is that here not just one, but two matching specimens are offered.

Both lamps have the same construction, materials, dimensions and appearance. This allows them to be beautifully positioned symmetrically, for example on either side of a sideboard or console, next to a sofa, or as statement lighting in a modern interior.

The combination of warm teak veneer with heavy transparent glass makes them especially suitable for enthusiasts and collectors of Scandinavian Modern, Swedish Modern, Mid-Century Modern and 20th-century Scandinavian glass and lighting.

Attribution: Ateljé / AB Glas & Trä, Hovmantorp
Origin: Sweden
Period: approx. 1960s
Style: Scandinavian Modern / Mid-Century Modern
Materials: teak veneer, heavy pressed structural glass and metal
Quantity: 2 matching table lamps
Marking: original blue SEMKO S certification mark
Model: not documented
Designer: not documented

Dimensions per lamp: H 43.5 cm × approx. 12.5 cm

Total weight: 5,472 g

The lamps are in nice authentic vintage pre-owned condition, with appropriate light signs of use and aging. At the underside there are also signs of wear. Please carefully review the photos; they form an important part of the condition description.

The lamp shades shown in a few mood photos are for presentation purposes only and are not included.

A special and decorative original Swedish pair from the sixties, interesting because of the characteristic combination of teak veneer and heavy structural glass, the attribution to Ateljé Glas & Trä Hovmantorp, the original SEMKO certification, and the interesting, but not yet definitively proven, relation of this design to Orrefors.

A fine find for the collector of Swedish Mid-Century design and Scandinavian vintage lighting.

Both vintage table lamps are originally wired with plug and are securely packaged for safe shipping, registered and insured with track and trace.