TRIVA
[Stolar, Fatoljer, Soffor, Sangar, Bord, Forvaringmobler]
Elias Svedberg, Nordiska Kompaniet
Elias Svedberg, Nordiska Kompaniet: TRIVA [Stolar, Fatoljer, Soffor, Sangar, Bord, Forvaringmobler]. N. P.: n. d. [Stockholm: Nordiska Kompaniet, c. 1955]. Original edition. Text in Swedish. Slim oblong quarto. Stapled and printed self wrappers. 28 pp. Black and white photographs and diagrams with elaborate graphic design throughout. Furniture specification and sales catalog. Wrappers lightly worn. A nearly fine copy.
5.85 x 8.25 stapled sales brochure with 28 pages dedicated to the Triva line of furnishings divided into these categories: Chairs, Armchairs, Sofas, Beds, Tables, Storage Furniture. Examples are identified with dimensions and finishes. I suspect this information would be useful if you are fluent in Swedish.
Nordiska Kompaniet manufactured the Triva furniture line for export. Triva was developed by Elias Svedberg and his team of 20 designers in response to a Swedish handicraft association contest announced in 1946. The contest--in conjunction with local furniture factories--solicited furniture for "modern family needs and suitable for mass production."
Elias Svedberg and his designers--including Kerstin Horlin-Holmqvist, Erik Worts and Lena Larsson--developed the idea of unassembled furniture that was shipped in flat packets. This eclectic "knock-down" [K-D] furniture was imported into the United States through companies such as Swedish Modern. The K-D method helped vault IKEA into the worlds' largest furniture retailer.
A scarce and significant document from the postwar industrial design era that was collected by an attendee of the Helsingborg Exhibition 1955 [H55]. The theme of H55 was primarily arts and crafts, assembled with the aim of showing ways in which modern design could be integrated into commercial items and luxury goods. The fair drew exhibitors from over ten countries (no mean feat at the time) and included the String Bookshelf by Nisse Strinning.