Ceramic Wall Sconces by Sigvard Bernadotte for Ifö, Sweden, 1960s

A wall sconce designed by Sigvard Bernadotte for Ifö, representing mid-20th-century Swedish modernism. The form is based on a simple, compact design featuring a distinctive combination of a light turquoise-blue ceramic body and a white opal glass shade. The manufacturer, Ifö, used ceramics and opal glass in numerous lighting models designed by Bernadotte in the 1950s and 1960s.  The ceramic base has a geometric, slightly rounded shape with horizontal grooves that give it a distinct rhythm and emphasize the horizontal character of the design. The centrally mounted white shade, with its conical-cylindrical silhouette made of opal glass, creates a striking contrast with the blue ceramic. The combination of color, clean lines, and functional design fits well within the Swedish Mid-Century Modern aesthetic. Similar blue Bernadotte models for Ifö date back to the 1960s. Bernadotte’s design stands out for its subordination of form to function—its decorative quality stems primarily from the proportions, color, and subtle contours of the ceramic body. The wall sconce belongs to a distinctive group of Swedish Ifö fixtures intended, among other things, for functional interiors, including bathrooms, but its minimalist form also finds its place within the broader trend of Scandinavian modernism.