Ulla Molin and Hem i Sverige

An analysis of how the modern home was shaped in postwar popular media.

How were ideas about the modern home communicated in postwar Sweden? The journal Hem i Sverige (HiS) illustrates how architecture, design, and ideals were disseminated to a broad audience—with the single-family home at the center.

Landscape architect and art historian Anna Lundvall investigated how architecture was communicated through Hem i Sverige between 1944 and 1966, with a particular focus on the single-family house as a whole—building, garden, and interior. She was also a guest researcher at ArkDes in 2021 with a separate project that explored ideas and buildings in the collection relating to sustainability.

By analyzing the journal alongside competitions, exhibitions, and other forms of communication, the study identified which ideals were promoted—and how. The main source material came from Hem i Sverige and the ArkDes collection, particularly material from Lisa Bauer and photographer Sune Sundahl, whose work frequently appeared in the magazine. The research was further enriched through conversations with journalist Gunilla Lundahl, landscape architect Saga Axberg, and furniture maker Ammi Chambert, who contributed valuable perspectives.

The results point to both thematic continuities and evolving ideas over time—such as Ulla Molin’s concepts of the ”urcellen” och ”allrummet”. Hem i Sverige functioned as a collective intellectual space where editors, writers, and readers together shaped the ideal of the modern Swedish home.