history

The story of Orrefors and Kosta Boda is a tale of vision, artistry, and enduring Swedish craftsmanship, spanning more than a century. Glass was long considered a luxury, reserved for royalty, nobility, and wealthy merchants. Kosta Boda, founded in 1742, produced fine glassware—window panes, chandeliers, and decorative pieces—crafted by skilled European glassblowers who kept their secrets closely guarded. It took decades before Swedes mastered the art themselves.

By the late 1800s, Kosta Boda sought its own design identity. At the 1897 Stockholm Exhibition, its glass was criticized for resembling foreign styles. In response, the company hired Gunnar G:son Wennerberg in 1898 as its first in-house designer. This set the stage for a legacy of artistic innovation. Over the years, visionary designers such as Tyra Lundgren, Vicke Lindstrand, Monica Backström, Bertil Vallien, and many more turned Kosta Boda into a bold, expressive brand. Despite challenges from industrialization, competition, and changing trends, the company survived through adaptability, leadership, and creativity.

Meanwhile, Orrefors, founded in 1898 in southern Sweden, carved its own path. Initially producing window glass and bottles, the company shifted toward drinking glasses, vases, and decorative art under Consul Johan Ekman. Early inspiration came from French masters like Daum and Gallé, but Orrefors quickly developed a distinctive style characterized by clean, fluid lines, brilliant crystal, and innovative techniques. The Ariel technique, developed in 1936, trapped air inside the glass walls, creating patterns of light and depth. Orrefors gained international acclaim at the 1925 Paris Exhibition and became renowned for both decorative art glass and crystal stemware.

In 1999, the two iconic Swedish glassworks merged to form Orrefors Kosta Boda, uniting Orrefors’ elegance and precision with Kosta Boda’s bold, artistic expression. Together, they combined centuries of tradition, innovation, and creativity. The merged company continues to celebrate design, producing glass that is both functional and inspirational. Designers and artists remain at the heart of Orrefors Kosta Boda, pushing the boundaries of color, form, and technique while honoring the rich legacies of both brands.

Today, Orrefors Kosta Boda stands as a symbol of Swedish glassmaking excellence—a story still being written, where history, artistry, and innovation meet in every sparkling creation.

Today, Kosta Boda is more alive than ever. Production at Kosta glassworks is in full swing, and in the light from the furnaces, visitors have the opportunity to follow the work up close - from the melting of the glass mass to glassblowing, grinding and painting. Every summer, Kosta is visited by over half a million tourists, and it’s still the glassworks, the mansion and some of the original cottages that together form the center of the resort. Kosta Boda's work also stretches further than that; nowadays part of our production is manufactured at skilled glassworks all over Europe. With our design in focus, we work with carefully selected suppliers and glass craftsmen. These collaborations have led to opportunities to teach the techniques that have been developed at the glassworks in Småland, at the same time as we get access to techniques that aren’t available in our own factory. A perfect win-win situation.