Kvist – Jonas Bohlin’s Copper Lamp

A Design Collaboration that Defined a Brand

Kvist was the result of one of the very first collaborations between renowned Swedish designer Jonas Bohlin and Örsjö Belysning – a partnership that would come to shape the identity of the brand. Bohlin, educated at Konstfack University and later a professor, is celebrated for his design principles: functional, innovative, and personal. Kvist embodies these qualities perfectly, becoming not only a commercial success but also a design icon.

From First Edition to Market Launch

The very first edition of Kvist was presented in 1999, marking a creative milestone in Örsjö’s design journey with Jonas Bohlin. In 2001, the lamp was officially launched, quickly establishing itself as a hallmark of Scandinavian design and a core product in Örsjö’s portfolio.

Design Language & Inspiration

Kvist draws its form from the delicate, organic branching of a tree. Each arm holds a dimmable light unit, offering both practical flexibility and poetic beauty. As Bohlin explains:

“When my son was born, I planted an apple tree. The apple tree is still there, growing and bearing fruit.”
This connection to nature and time gives Kvist a unique narrative that resonates with design lovers and collectors alike.

Materials & Finish – The Beauty of Living Surfaces

The original Kvist was crafted in raw copper – a living, evolving material that develops a natural patina over time. This choice of material gave each lamp its own individual character. Over the years, the collection has expanded to include raw brass, white lacquer, and nickel-plated brass, each bringing its own tone and personality while staying true to the original design vision.

Models & Variations

Kvist is available in several configurations to suit different spaces and atmospheres:

Pendant lamps with 4, 6, or 16 arms
Floor lamp with 4 arms
All models feature generous cable lengths (5 m for pendants, 3 m for floor lamps) and a discreet hook for neat cable management.

Timeless Aesthetics for Private and Public Spaces

Over two decades since its launch, Kvist remains a favorite among interior designers, architects, and design-conscious homeowners. Its refined, minimalist form works beautifully in both private homes and public interiors such as restaurants, lounges, and galleries. The raw copper version, in particular, stands out for its warm glow and ability to age gracefully, making each piece truly unique.

Key Facts for Collectors & Design Enthusiasts:

Design year: 1999
Market launch: 2001
Designer: Jonas Bohlin
Producer: Örsjö Belysning
Original finish: Raw copper
Other finishes: Raw brass, white lacquer, nickel-plated brass
Inspiration: Branches of a tree, nature, personal story

Why Kvist is a Modern Classic

Kvist is more than just a lighting fixture – it is a piece of Scandinavian design history. Its functional adjustability, nature-inspired form, and living materials make it an enduring favorite and a true statement piece for any setting.

Jonas Bohlin, Örsjö

KVIST
Design: Jonas Bohlin 2001
pendant-lamp copper

Jonas Bohlin, Örsjö

Photo: Lennart Kaltea

Ulf Beckman, Editor, FORM Design Magazine, 1998-07-01

JONAS BOHLIN Curriculum Vitae
Being a designer with an artistical approach to his work, Jonas Bohlin always crosses the borderlines — but without losing the connections. The connections to architecture, to functions, to life itself.

Since the beginning of his career the mixture of emotion and common sense in design has been the very means for his success. As much as you never can separate a design’s form from its function, you’re not able to distinguish its emotional contents from its value.

Jonas Bohlin started off by making a kind of scandalous success in terms of offended Swedish functionalism at the 1981 graduation show at Konstfack, the National College of Arts, Craft and Design, in Stockholm. We never quite recoverd from the shock his chair “Concrete” created in the Swedish design community. Being meant as a piece of sculpture in an artistic installation, the chair of steel and concrete was obviuosly epitomizing a Swedish idea of post-modernism, why it was produced in a limited edition, and is currently a collector’s item.

Bohlin’s works range from furniture, light fittings, glass and textiles, to art objects and installations. It also comprises huge projects, like the creation of a new design education or an eighteen months long happening, comprising the build of a traditional, Swedish boat for fuor rowers, and climaxing in a three month rowing session on the channels of Europe, from Stockholm to Paris.

That project was called LIV, the Swedish word for life (also Latin for 54 — the total number of rowers!), and Jonas Bohlin was truly “rowing for life”. Not only his own, as it came out, but also that of his wife and of his son, who was born almost on the same day as the succeding exhibition LIV opened in Stockholm in the spring of 1997.

LIV also gave birth to a lot of new Bohlin design. A range of objects which are natural new members of the big family of things — members but still individuals. To me Jonas Bohlin’s design always have a very sociable quality — they are great friends in an otherwise mixed company.

Ulf Beckman
Editor, FORM Design Magazine
1998-07-01

More design from Jonas Bohlin:

Starlight track lighting system installation demonstrating versatile configurations for modern commercial spaces

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