Ateljé Glas & Trä - Table lamp - Glass and Teak

Ateljé Glas & Trä, Hovmantorp – rare pair of tall Swedish table lamps – teak veneer & solid structural 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 distinctive Scandinavian design in which two materials inseparably linked to Swedish modernism – teak wood and glass – are combined in an almost architectural manner.

Sculptural construction of glass and teak

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

It is precisely these glass elements that make the design special. The thick blocks have pronounced relief and ribbed, irregular structure, causing light to break and reflect in several ways.

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

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

Even without lampshades they are therefore 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. Nearly identical tall table lamps are attributed to Ateljé Glas & Trä, Hovmantorp and are also composed of pressed square glass elements with ribbed sides, alternating with teak blocks.

Interesting connection with Orrefors

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

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

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

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

Original Swedish SEMKO S Mark

At the bottom is the characteristic blue SEMKO – Svenska Elektriska Materielkontrollanstalten – S mark.

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

A fine original detail that further supports the Swedish provenance and vintage origin of the lamps.

Especially as an original pair

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

Both lamps share the same construction, materials, dimensions, and appearance. This allows them to be beautifully placed 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 particularly suitable for lovers 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: circa the 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 mark
Model: not documented
Designer: not documented

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

Total weight: 5,472 grams

The lamps are in beautiful authentic vintage pre-owned condition, with light signs of use and aging appropriate to vintage items. At the bottom there are also signs of use. Please examine the photos carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.

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

A particularly distinctive and decorative original Swedish pair from the 1960s, interesting for the characteristic combination of teak veneer and heavy structural glass, the attribution to Ateljé Glas & Trä Hovmantorp, the original SEMKO safety mark, and the interesting but not yet definitively proven connection of this design with Orrefors.

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

Both vintage table lamps are original wired with plug and will be safely packed for smart shipping, insured, and sent with tracking and tracing."} }/final