Find this season's gifts in Orrefors' gift guide, here.
The history of Orrefors is the story of how the simplest ingredients – lime, sand and soda – can become magnificent glass objects. Fueled by the forest, the artists and designers made Orrefors a global leader in glass.
First, they produced glass jars for preserved foods in nineteenth-century Orrefors. As social movements and the notion of “more beautiful everyday goods” took hold around the turn of the last century, artists Edward Hald and Simon Gate were invited to the glassworks. They promptly began making new objects with color and engraving. The results became popular worldwide through exhibitions, interior design and objects for everyday use. Before long, glass from the forests of Småland was incomparable: There is nothing like it! “Il n’y as que ça!” exclaimed the 1925 World’s Fair in Paris.
More artists and designers joined Orrefors and the designs were refined and reconsidered. Hot glass contains infinite possibilities – for those who have mastered the skill. The glass made today is based on expertise generated over more than a century. The very best designers now continue to enchant the world with the brilliance and beauty of glass.
The story about the glass from Orrefors continues.