Master Saddler Johannes Palmgren founded Palmgrens in 1896 on Sibyllegatan in Stockholm, a location that was to become the residence for both the family and the company. Johannes Palmgren established a high reputation during the start of his career and was awarded with the title by Appointment to H.M the King of Sweden in 1903. The store and atelier was at that time located at Sibyllegatan 17, one block away from our current address.
At Sibyllegatan 17, the clients were welcomed by a grey wooden horse, originally used for try-outs of saddles and harnesses. According to the history books, the horse first belonged to the Master Saddler Jacob Fagerberg (1769-1830), one of the era's most renowned Saddlers in Stockholm. The grey horse has since become our oldest and most appreciated colleauge and welcomes our clients to the store to this day.
The store offered saddles, harnesses, trunks and leather goods for travels abroad, all handmade by the skilled craftsmen in the atelier across the small courtyard. Smaller leather goods could be found in the the large wooden counters dressed in leather, the same counters that proudly present our pieces today.
When launched in 1896, the brand offered clients a range of equestrian equipment, such as saddles, bridles and driving harnesses. The atelier also offered bespoke pieces for private homes as well as public spaces. Johannes Palmgrens great interest in cars and coaches led to leather dressed interiors in cars, train carriages and airplanes.
Palmgrens soon widened its range with handbags, briefcases, suitcases, desk accessories, jewellery boxes and trunks. In 1950, Palmgrens launched the Rattan Bag, the atelier's Scandinavian interpretation of the woven baskets many women around the Mediterranean wore. The model would become an immediate classic and has met and been carried by generations since.
Palmgrens interest in combining leather with other materials, such as wood, glass and silver, would evolve into collaborations with highly renowned craftsmen of various fields.
The tradition of collaborating between artistic fields is a tradition we proudly carry on and in recent years we are proud to have launched collaborations with Swedish designers of various fields, such as House of Dagmar, Maria Nilsdotter, Save the Children, Beckmans College of Design, Thomas Sandell, Monica Förster & Emma Olbers.
In celebration of our 125th anniversary, we revisited our history of furniture manufacturing and through our collaboration with Swedish architect Thomas Sandell, The Cross Stool and the Cross Table came to be. The pieces are sculpted from sipo mahagony and dressed in Swedish vegetable tanned calf leather and offers beautiful details of craftsmanship by KFK Snickeri and Sadelmakarmästarna, both located in Stockholm.