Since 2005, Svenskt Tenn has collaborated with illustrator and designer Maja Sten when she created the now-classic acorn doorstop together with Eva Schildt. For Christmas 2023, Sten returns to the house with a collection of decorative pieces that celebrate nostalgia and traditions.
With baubles, paper garlands, brass ornaments and fabric prints, illustrator and designer Maja Sten has created a fairytale world that celebrates the bustle and joyous rituals that surround her childhood memories of Christmas.
“For this collection, I began with the beauty I find in the small things. The ritualistic act of decorating our homes, baking, wrapping, varnishing and crafting. A fairytale world made of gingerbread and sweets.”
When I was little; the day before Christmas eve we’d always bring down a heavy chest from the attic. I can still remember how it smelled. This treasure that we children would throw ourselves at. Opening it was a magic ritual, unpacking the sparkling objects it contained, each with their own story — this is the emotion I want this collection to evoke.
Among the new additions in this year’s collection are the ‘Goda Ting’ baubles and the ‘Kristyr’ brass ornaments ; Christmas tree decorations reminiscing of gingerbread and traditional Christmas sweets.
In my family home, we had these old gingerbread cookie cutters. With hats askew, protruding chins, and feet resembling like they were on the run, I think they had so much more personality than the modern ones. These shapes inspired my collection, and the patterns I drew from the royal icing they were decorated with. The colours of the baubles are inspired by traditional Swedish Christmas sweets, candy canes, lollipops, marzipan, marmalade jellies and cellophane-wrapped candies.
The ‘Kristyr’ brass pot is another new addition. Available in different shapes and sizes, it is ideal for displaying seasonal fruits and flower arrangements. In the making of the pot, Maja Sten was inspired by the billowing waves of the royal icing used to decorate gingerbread figures, giving a touch of softness and tactility that offset the austere shape of the brass pot.
Maja Sten is active in Stockholm, Sweden. She began her training at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design and continued her studies at the Royal College of Art of London. Upon graduation, she returned to Sweden to open her own studio in Stockholm. Her colourful aesthetic is playful and distinct, often drawing inspiration from folk arts and nature.
