Mid-Century Modern Beauty: Wright’s July Scandinavian Design Sale Results

Scandinavian design took its rightful place on the world stage in the early 1950s and aligned almost perfectly with the early postwar, mid-century modern aesthetic of that era. Today, Scandinavian design remains popular with collectors, designers, and architects. Wright of Chicago, IL presented its 162-lot Scandinavian Design sale on July 10, 2025. The event featured stunning examples of furnishings and decorative items from the finest legacy artisans and manufacturers of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Here are some impressive results from this signature semiannual sale. All prices noted include Wright’s buyer’s premium.

The top lot in this Scandinavian design sale was #0143, an Ariel-style vase by Edvin Öhrström. Estimated at USD 1,000 to $1,500, it sold for $19,800. This green and red glass example was produced by Orrefors in Sweden in 1952. It featured a front portrait of a woman with a bobbed haircut on one side, and a full-length view of the reverse of a woman in a fancy hat and dress. It was marked “Orrefors Sweden Ariel 1694E Edvin Ohrstrom” on its bottom.

Edvin Öhrström (Swedish, 1906 – 1994) was a leader in the 20th-century glass art world. His signature Ariel style of glass art was named after the god of wind in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Öhrström would insert a layer or layers of colored glass into a clear one. He then decorated its surface with a pattern or design via hand etching, sandblasting, engraving, or other techniques. After this surface treatment was complete, the glass item would then be coated with clear glass, heated, and blown or formed into its final shape, size, and configuration.

Chairs and seating were well represented in this sale. Lot #0122, a set of ten teak and leather chairs by Hans J. Wegner, was estimated at $8,000 to $12,000 and changed hands at $17,160. This married set was produced in Denmark between 1949 and 1960. All the chairs ranged in condition from fair to good, most showing wear and losses associated with everyday use. Eight of the chairs were marked “JH Johannes Hansen Copenhagen Denmark” on their undersides. These handsome, mid-century seats were noted in several professional reference publications.

Hans J. Wegner (Danish, 1914 – 2007) was best known for his chairs and seating design work. He designed over 500 different chairs over the course of his career, most in the distinctive mid-century modern style. A passionate creative force since childhood, he would go on to receive numerous international awards for his contributions over the course of his lifetime. These included the Lunning Prize (an annual award, often called the “Nobel Prize” of Scandinavian Design) in 1951, as well as an honorary Doctorate degree from the Royal College of Art in 1997. Wegner’s work is exhibited at premier museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Designmuseum Danmark, among others.

Cabinets, bookshelves, nightstands, and other storage furnishings were also standouts in this Scandinavian design sale. Lot #0121, a set of nine pine bookcases designed by Mogens Koch, was estimated at $5,000 to $7,000 and realized $15,840. The grouping consisted of nine bookcases and three bases. The bookcases were produced around 1960 by the Danish furniture workshop Rasmussens Snedkerier and marked as such with paper manufacturer’s labels on the reverse of each bookcase and the interior of two of the three bases. 

Mogens Koch (Danish, 1898 – 1992) was an architect, furniture designer, and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He was best known for his mid-century modern chair designs, as well as bookcases. He envisioned each design with equal nods to good looks, practical forms, comfort, and functionality. Several of Koch’s premier and most popular designs still remain in production in Denmark at Carl Hansen and Son (the company that purchased the Rasmussen furniture workshop in 2011), nearly a century onward from their debut. 

Eye-catching lamps and lighting fixtures also attracted bids. Lot #0165, a pair of table lamps by Lotte and Gunnar Bostlund, was estimated $1,000 to $1,500 and delivered $3,432. This matched pair had brown glazed, decanter-shaped stoneware bases and tan twine-covered shades. Each was sold in working condition with wiring appropriate for United States electrical outlets.

Lotte and Gunnar Bostlund were a Danish couple who immigrated to Canada in the early 1950s. They were best known for their lamps and other decorative art pottery, with their first lamps in full production in 1956. Their production was known for its clean and elegant lines, stunning glazes, hand-painting, and carved detailing. The Bostlund family sold the business to a Circleville, OH firm in 1997, where production of the couple’s designs continues today.

Tables, rugs, flatware, and other decorative items brought this sale full circle. Lot #0123, a Lovo dining table by Axel Einar Hjorth, was estimated at $7,000 to $9,000 and served up $12,540. This elegant, mid-century pine example was produced in Sweden by Nordiska Kompaniet Verkstader, a manufacturer of finely designed furniture.

For more information on Wright’s July 10, 2025 Scandinavian Design sale, visit LiveAuctioneers.

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