These signature lampshades are a beautiful show of delicate and sustainable craftsmanship
Artisanal furniture design runs in Vanja Sorbon Malmsten's blood. The granddaughter of Carl Malmsten, she grew up spending her free time in the renowned furniture designer's basement workshop. “We were always very close friends,” she says. “He was an extraordinary man.” Sorbon Malmsten joined her grandfather full-time in his atelier in 2008, taking over the creation of the family's signature lampshades. “It was actually Siv, my grandma, who started making them at the end of the 1950s,” she says.
Working with thin layers of paper stacked with dried leaves and grass – hand-picked and processed by Siv and Carl – the lamps quickly became a staple in the Malmsten family's interior offerings. The craftsmanship has been carried down through the family – from mother to daughter to Sorbon Malmsten herself. “Every year, I head out to forage for the materials I need.” Then comes the long process of drying the grass and leaves. “I've had a lot of shades be destroyed because the grass wasn't dry enough,” she explains.
The tricky part is the placement of the greenery, as Sorbon Malmsten puts it: “It has to have a pattern but still look organic.” Her favourite shrubbery to work with is dried autumn leaves. “They're almost see-through and so incredibly fragile.” The result: a ghostly imprint of summers gone by trapped in incandescent light. Today, Carl Malmsten's notion of environmentally conscious design using local ingredients and traditions are more relevant than ever. “My niece has expressed some interest to learn the craft as well,” Sorbon Malmsten says.