Housekeeping Gallery
Swedish Timeline
Sweden decided to adopt the Augsburg confession of the Lutheran Church. A strict unadorned protestant aesthetic was adapted in religious buildings that filtered down to society in general and private homes. Even today Swedish homes are very uncluttered and minimalistic, where plain and pastel colours are preferred.
Ellen Key publishes her aesthetic manifesto, Beauty for All.
In a series of broadcasts for Swedish radio in 1938, the journalist Ludvig “Lubbe" Nordström visited homes that were overcrowded and dirty. The series was called “Lort-Sverige” (Filthy-Sweden”). At this time, Sweden's housing was among the worst in Europe. Many dwellings were draughty and damp, crowded and cold.
Miljonprogrammet (The Million Programme) is implemented, with the goal to build one million new apartments over a ten-year period (in 1965, the total population in Sweden was 7.7 millions). And yes, that was accomplished.
Minimalism design moves from the art scene to interior design, clothes and food, becoming the upstage ideal for Swedes and their homes.
