Sven Fristedt is one of Sweden’s most influential textile designers and a pioneer in pattern design. For several decades, he has created iconic patterns for major brands like Borås Wäfveri AB, IKEA, and Katja of Sweden. His unique style and color choices have adorned everything from curtains and sofas to tablecloths and bed linens in Swedish homes – and his patterns have become an integral part of Swedish folk home design.
During the Swedish textile industry’s heyday in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, his patterns were exported worldwide. His design remains timeless, with a recent resurgence of interest in retro fabrics. Fristedt’s mass-produced textiles have now become part of modern textile heritage.
Born in 1940, Fristedt has lived and worked in Skåne since his twenties. A major retrospective exhibition of his life’s work was recently held at Kulturen in Lund, presenting his long career from his first patterns in the late 1950s to his contemporary designs. The exhibition, developed in close collaboration with the artist, displays not only his most famous patterns but also unique objects, sculptures, and hand-printed fabrics created at the Artists’ Collective Workshop in Malmö. Sketches and materials that inspired Fristedt provide insight into his creative process.
The exhibition highlights how everyday design is a central part of people’s lives and underscores the designer’s crucial role in shaping our daily products. It also offers a glimpse into the history of the Swedish textile industry and Fristedt’s important contributions to it.
An old boiler house on the former hospital grounds Marieberg. The house is brick and has bright beautiful rooms. Kafferian is in the same building. For those who want to listen to their own guide, there is an audio guide. You borrow it in the museum's store for free.
Kristinehamn Art museum
Doktor Enwalls väg 13, 68137 Kristinehamn
E18 from Karlstad. Drive towards the center at the first exit, drive straight through the roundabout, take the first road to the right, then right again. Follow the sign to the museum.
