Women in Design – Jung & Johansson-Pape

A themed auction featuring lighting and glass designed by Gunilla Jung and Lisa Johansson-Pape, primarily for the Finnish design and lighting manufacturer Orno.

Orno, renowned for its high-quality metal products and innovative lighting fixtures, was founded in 1921. During Stockmann's ownership in the mid-20th century, Orno became known for its sleek lighting designs that combined functionality with modern aesthetics.

Gunilla Jung and Lisa Johansson-Pape were two pivotal designers at Orno. Jung, starting her career in the mid-1930s, worked with a bold mix of materials like metal, glass, hardwood, rattan, and reed. Influenced by Bauhaus, her designs were both unique and modern. She created notable pieces for Orno and public spaces, including the Savoy Cinema (1937) and several iconic Helsinki restaurants, until her untimely death at 34 in 1939.

Lisa Johansson-Pape, a furniture architect, succeeded Jung almost by chance and became one of Orno's central lighting designers from the 1940s onward. During wartime material shortages, she innovatively used materials such as wood shavings, paper, and textiles, later returning to metal, glass, and plastic post-war. Johansson-Pape’s functionalist approach focused on creating lighting that provided excellent illumination in line with the ideals of the time.

Both Jung and Johansson-Pape were central figures in Orno's success and left a lasting impact in the history of Finnish design internationally.