A Stained-Glass Reverie: Judith Johansson Swedish Röllakan Masterwork Fönstret

Renowned weaver and textile artist Judith Johansson is credited with designing more than 400 beautiful Scandinavian rugs over her long career. She and her husband, John Johansson, produced the designs under their company JJ Vävateljén for more than five decades, and today vintage Judith Johansson textiles continue to delight Scandinavian modern furniture lovers all over the world. Her work has had an enduring impact on Swedish rug design.

Johansson was born in 1916 in the Sweden village of Trollhättan, known for its breathtaking scenery. The natural backdrop of her childhood influenced much of Johansson's later design work and is visible in the tree- and leaf-like patterns that characterize her textiles. Her father was a builder, her mother was a seamstress and her grandmother taught her to weave at a young age.

Johansson met her future husband when she was 19 years old. John ran a handicraft shop in the village, where he hired weavers to produce rugs and smaller textiles. In 1938, the young couple moved to the town of Knäred and opened their weaving studio. John managed the administrative side of the business so that his talented wife was free to create rich and interesting textile designs. 

Johansson was always looking to improve her craft, and she studied at the School of Textiles in Borås in the late 1940s. She created designs that her studio’s weavers would produce for the Nordiska Kompaniet department stores, and her fabrics were used in works produced by Swedish furniture designer Carl Malmsten. Johansson’s mid-century flatweave wool rugs became widely known for their integration of warm color pairings and intricate abstract forms and geometric patterns. 

Johansson was eventually invited to fill the role of artistic leader at the Capellagården craft school, which was founded by Malmsten. She declined, opting instead to continue her work at her studio and focus on designing rugs for churches and other organizations. Johansson was awarded a gold medal from her native country’s Royal Patriotic Society (Kungliga Patriotiska Sällskapet) and today her rugs can be found in churches all over Sweden.

After Johansson died in 1993, the business passed to the couple's daughter.

Find vintage Judith Johansson rugs and carpets on 1stDibs.