The Backstory, from Susan Serra
Both my parents, having grown up just outside of Copenhagen, left their hometown after they married and immigrated to the U.S via ship in 1949. They kept in touch with family through infrequent trips back to their Danish homeland (air travel was a big deal then, and you dressed up for the plane trip!) My parents also kept up with family through letters and phone calls, in the early days, with the assistance of an international telephone operator. that took upwards of 30 minutes to connect the call! And family came to visit us too.
My childhood home had all the trappings of Danish Modern/Mid Century design with authentic Scandinavian art, accessories, and furnishings. It was a sort of an "IV drip" exposure to Scandinavian design, day after day, year after year.
From a young age, I traveled to visit my large family in Denmark and Norway, always taking photos of their homes which I treasure to this day. Those trips became more frequent over the years. As a teenager, given money from my grandmother while on a trip there, I purchased a beautiful ceramic bowl which still graces my home. It was to be an early sign of my love of Scandinavian design.
OVER THE YEARS, I ENJOYED COLLECTING SWEDISH RUGS AND FOUND MANY USES FOR THE RUGS THROUGHOUT MY HOME
Early on, I started my own design firm with a focus on kitchens and baths, building a national reputation as a certified kitchen designer over 25+ years. I continued to visit my family in Denmark on a more frequent basis as time went on, buying lots of art, rugs and collectibles from Scandinavia. While there, I also always visited kitchen showrooms and collected as many design magazines as I could hold (and now my collection has to be close to 400 Scandinavian magazines.)
All along, I had a secret wish to one day bring these beautiful Swedish rugs that are so personal to me and my family, to newly found kindred spirits in the U.S. who could appreciate the unique and wonderful qualities of these incredible textiles.
There’s also a little magic in our collection of rugs to be sure.
They are so beautiful, so skillfully woven, so stylish yet practical and of a timeless design. But, beyond all of those great attributes, once you own one - or as you peruse our pages of rugs, you may just stop and think: “Who wove this rug? What was the artisan’s life like? Did she (mostly females) live on a farm, in a cottage, in a manor house? Was there even electricity in the home at the time?” Whatever the artisan’s life was like, she (or he) found a way to express her (or his) creativity without any bounds or restrictions.