Carl Larsson-gården (The Carl Larsson cottage) is the name given to Lilla Hyttnäs, a house located in the village of

Sundborn Sundborn () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality situated in Falun Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 762 inhabitants in 2010. The painter Carl Larsson and his wife, textile artist Karin Bergöö Larsson, lived in the cottage Lilla Hyttnäs ...

outside

Falun Falun () is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 37,291 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Dalarna County. Falun forms, together with Borlänge, a metropolitan area with just over 100,000 inhabit ...

Dalarna Dalarna (; ), also referred to by the English exonyms Dalecarlia and the Dales, is a (historical province) in central Sweden. Dalarna adjoins Härjedalen, Hälsingland, Gästrikland, Västmanland and Värmland. It is also bordered by Nor ...

. The artists

Carl Larsson Carl Olof Larsson (; 28 May 1853 – 22 January 1919) was a Swedish painter representative of the Arts and Crafts movement. His many paintings include oils, watercolors, and frescoes. He is principally known for his watercolors of idyllic fami ...

and

Karin Bergöö Larsson Karin Larsson, née Bergöö, (3 October 1859 – 18 February 1928) was a Swedish artist and designer who collaborated with her husband, Carl Larsson, as well as being often depicted in his paintings. Early life and education Karin Bergö ...

lived here between the years 1889 and 1912. Since 1946, Lilla Hyttnäs has been managed by Carl and Karin Larsson's estate, as a historic home and museum.

History

In 1888, Carl and Karin Larsson received Lilla Hyttnäs, a cottage built in 1837, from Karin's father Adolf Bergöö. As early as 1889, they started spending summers at the house, and in 1901, the family moved to Sundborn permanently. The Larssons began to decorate their home and the simple cottage was transformed into one of Sweden's most famous homes. The Larssons created their own style, which was influenced by the

National Romantic style The National Romantic style was a Nordic architectural style that was part of the National Romantic movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is often considered to be a form of Art Nouveau. The National Romantic style spread ...

and the interior design ideas of the British artist

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

, as well as the

Arts and Crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

. Simple furniture and clear colors dominate the interior, a departure from contemporary bourgeois ideals of heavy, dark furnishings. Karin larsson schommelstoel

In Lilla Hyttnäs, Karin Larsson found an outlet for her artistry by designing furniture and weaving the fabrics and tapestries found across the house. Her designs were revolutionary while also borrowing from already established styles: "Pre-modern in character they introduced a new abstract style in tapestry. Her bold compositions were executed in vibrant colours... she reinterpreted Japanese motifs... ndexplored folk techniques". In several books Carl Larsson described and depicted in paintings his home and family life at Sundborn. These were "A Home" (1899), "The Larssons" (1902) and "On the Sunny Side" (1910). It was through their popularity that Carl Larsson-gården became so influential in the development of Swedish interior design. Moved from Aspeboda to Falun in 1912, the Miner's Cottage was the last addition to the house. The interior of the cabin contained unique ceiling and wall paintings from 1742 that Carl Larsson wanted to save from destruction. Carl and Karin Larsson died in 1919 and 1928 respectively. Subsequently, their children donated their inheritance lots to form Carl and Karin Larsson's family association in 1946 which has managed Carl Larsson-gården ever since. In 1966 it was designated a

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. In 2014, the garden surrounding the house was restored to how it would have originally looked during Carl and Karin Larsson's time. Adjacent to the artists' home is an exhibition hall and an archive and library with books, photographs and documents.

History

References

Further reading