Svenskt Tenn Gets the Margherita Missoni Treatment This Summer—And We’re Here for It

By Alia Akkam

Inside Margherita Maccapani Missoni's Aldo Cibic–designed abode in Varese, Italy, a profusion of pattern and color is on display—hardly surprising, given the legacy of her grandparents Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, who forever emboldened knitwear with their memorable zigzags. Josef Frank's unusually pared-back Klöverblad wallpaper, a mélange of delicate green clovers dancing against a background of white, makes an appearance, as does a suite of Frank chairs surrounding the dining table.

Those designs come from Svenskt Tenn, the historic Stockholm retailer and a favorite of Missoni. (A friend who uprooted to Sweden introduced her to the brand.) "Immediately, the prints caught my eye," she recalls. Before long, she had explored the entire trove and pieces from Svenskt Tenn were elegantly strewn throughout her house.

Laguna B glassware is among the chic items in the exhibition

A candle braid by International Wardrobe

This passion inevitably led Svenskt Tenn to ask Missoni, in a move she describes as "quite organic" and the product of "mutual respect," to orchestrate this summer's exhibition at the store. The recently opened Greetings from Margherita (running through August 27) aims to conjure "the laidback feeling of summer in Italy to Svenskt Tenn," points out Missoni, who will also be launching a streetwear-inspired brand called Maccapani this summer. The result is a wondrous, contemporary spin on la dolce vita expressed through the idea of a carefree picnic. Her soulful, layered table settings meld an Italian point of view with Swedish design, while reinforcing the designer's fondness for Svenskt Tenn. "It's always important to do something meaningful, and because there is so much Svenskt Tenn in my own place, it is storytelling that makes sense to me," she says.

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Some of the items, like the rectangular Italian Dinner Party tray emblazoned with Frank's playful cast of sea creatures, are Svenskt Tenn classics. Others were designed solely for the presentation (and are available for purchase), such as the folksy heart-shaped cushions swathed in Frank's Mirakel, Barranquilla, and Dixieland patterns and embellished in ruffles, and two smaller trays reminiscent of postcards, a nod to Missoni's ritual of scribbling her name across moody snapshots taken along her travels.

One special-edition stunner is the plate with a sunny, yellow-speckled border and soft blue trim produced by Italy's Ceramica Pinto. Woven into the vignettes are a smattering of products from Italian artisans and small businesses beloved by Missoni, including Lucia Zamberletti, L’erba Voglio, Laguna B glassware, and Striulli Vetri d’Arte, as well Copenhagen's Studio Arhoj and the Baba Tree Company in Ghana, which showcases gorgeous hand-woven baskets. Consider it just another form of "the mixing and matching that I naturally do," says Missoni.

Dinner and side plates and table linens also rank among the curation.

A Greetings From Margherita tray is available in two colorways.

Greetings from Margherita also doubles as a tribute to the groundbreaking Estrid Ericson, who founded Svenskt Tenn in 1924. Ericson wasn't only an aficionado of design (even back then she regularly invited contemporary talents to help her curate exhibitions in the store's Strandvägsgalleriet), but also of the lighthearted alfresco lifestyle. Missoni was enraptured by old photographs of Ericson setting out her own picnic spreads with panache, and believes the two of them are kindred spirits. "It was so many years ago, but the way she did things is exactly how I would have done it," she explains. "There's a part of the store where her office is kept the way it was, and we clearly have a similar taste."

As for the Svenskt Tenn guests who partake in Missoni's "picnic," it is her hope that they walk away with a sense of freedom, she shares. "There is no right or wrong when it comes to decorating. Just go with the flow."