While I was in Stockholm, we took a bus out to Gustavsberg to visit the old porcelain factory and museum. Gustavsberg has been around since the early 1800s, when it mostly produced knock-offs of popular Chinese ceramics. But then it shifted into Scandinavian designs, and in the 20th century it fostered a stable of gifted mid-century ceramicists including Stig Lindberg, Lisa Larsen, and Wilhelm Kage. It also makes practical ceramics like toilets and sinks; I got a kick out of identifying their wares in the various houses and restaurants we visited in Stockholm…. We got to see an exhibit of contemporary ceramics at the museum (as well as the glaze test samples pictured above) and then do some shopping at their factory store and again around the corner at an outlet with Iittala, Rörstrand, and other Nordic tableware.
In Stockholm center, particularly between Slussen and Södermalm, there are a number of antique stores with mid-century ceramics but also multiple Nordic arts and crafts boutiques selling contemporary pieces. I came home with a vase by Isak Isakson and a lovely little Song-style covered dish by Jonas Lindholm–somehow transporting them both safely in my carry-on. Stockholm is definitely dangerous for ceramics lovers!
The Rookery 