"A Home”: Östberg’s search for the total artwork

This paper analyses the short pamphlet -"Ett hem. Dess byggnad och inredning" (Eng. "A Home. Its construction and interior design", 15 pages)- written in 1905 by Swedish architect Ragnar Östberg (1866-1945). It encapsulates the Nordic devotion to craft, in which handicraft and design join hands. Taking the wooden houses of the vernacular models as a starting point from which to penetrate this turn-of-century current in Swedish art, the study goes on to provide an English annotated translation, rendering the thoughts and notes of this last master of Norden finally accessible to a not-only-Swedish readership. As a leading exponent of National Romanticism, Östberg sought simplicity and truth in materials. All visual arts should work together closely, reflecting a balanced interplay of popular culture and craftsmanship. Each detail reflected the total artwork: a continuum between construction and interior design. The quest for a proper vocabulary and character suiting simple homes designed for the lower social orders would spread across Northern Europe, so that many architects contributed to the tradition of model book like it