Uno & Osten Kristiansson Biography
The Swedish brothers and designers Uno & Östen Kristiansson, famous for their lighting and mirror designs, were particularly active between the 1950s and 1970s in Sweden. They were prolific designers with a very precise aesthetic, recognized as characteristic of the Scandinavian modern style. Uno was born in 1925 and Östen two years later. Not much is known about their formative years, but it can be inferred that they initially lived in southern Sweden, learning the furniture trade from their father who ran his own furniture company, Vittsjö Furniture (founded 1919), which took the name from the Swedish country where it was based.
In 1950 Uno Kristiansson founded his own manufacturing company, Luxus, located in Vittsjö, with which he produced a number of products, including interior lamps, furniture and mirrors, designed in collaboration with his brother. In the 1950s their collections were launched throughout Sweden and internationally throughout Europe. In 1968 Luxus presented a collection of lamps with brightly colored shades, designed by the renowned Finnish artist Marjatta Metsovaara (1927-2014), which perfectly represented the spirit of the 1960s. It is said that in 1966 Östen took over his father's business and renamed it Östen Kristiansson AB, but today the company still operates under its original name, Vittsjö Möbelfabrik AB. It is not known for certain what products were made during this period, nor whether the company was separate from Luxus.
Like many of their Scandinavian contemporaries, the Kristianssons favored teak in many of their designs, but also included glass, leather, plastic and acrylic in their work. Among their most famous designs are the Plafo ceiling lamp (1950s) in acrylic, the UFO lamp (1950s) in opaline glass - later produced in acrylic in the 1960s, the Model 204 Hunting Chair (1954) and a series of minimalist mirrors from the 1960s that recall the style of Jacques Adnet's Circulaire Mirror (1950), originally produced by Hermès.
In the 1970s, Luxus focused on creating lighting for public spaces, again using acrylic models with minimal wood details. Many online sources include in the Luxus repertoire list: Arkitektura Lamp, Candus Lamp, Skulptura Lamp, Discus Lamp, Pinus Lamp and Rustikus Lamp (all from the 1970s), but only a few concrete examples from this collection are still available, and our publishers are doing extensive research to confirm its authenticity.
Östen died in 2003. Today, the brothers' designs are in high demand and command high prices among vintage enthusiasts and design lovers who want to add a touch of Scandinavian minimalist style to their homes.
