Bruno Mathsson Design Residency

All international designers, based outside of Sweden are welcome to apply. During the period of stay, the designer is offered to stay for a month (May 15th–June 15th 2026) in a groundbreaking house designed by the influential architect and furniture designer Bruno Mathsson (1907–88). The house, from 1955, is located in Bruno Mathsson's hometown of Värnamo in Småland, and was originally commissioned by Sven Lundh (founder of Källemo and initiator of Vandalorum).

The Bruno Mathsson Design Residency is run by the Region Jönköping County and Vandalorum Museum of Art and Design. During the residence period, the designer is offered visits to the extensive furniture and manufacturing industry in the Jönköping region, based on the designer's choices and interests. The designer is also offered a tour to Bruno Mathsson's private home and the Mathsson Center, and is invited to give a public lecture at Vandalorum.

Location

Värnamo is a town situated in the middle of Småland, about 390 km from Stockholm and 230 km from Copenhagen. The region presents a mixture of forest and lakes.

Language

English, Swedish

Founded

2023

Duration

1 month. The dates for 2026 are May 15–June 15.

Who can apply?

All international designers working outside of Sweden can apply. You need to have finalized your studies and work professionally in the field of design.

What is included?

Included in the residency are travels to and from Värnamo, Sweden, a month stay at the Bruno Mathsson house (as the only occupant), and a stipend of 20 000 SEK to cover living expenses, additional travels, and other personal or professional expenditure.

Application period

The application for the Bruno Mathsson Design Residency 2026 is open from September 1 to October 30, 2025. The selected designer for the 2026 residency will be informed within 8 weeks from the application deadline.

Application guidelines

Please send the following application documents, as one pdf, to bildochform@rjl.se:

• Project outline (300–500 words)
• CV
• Portfolio (10-15 images)

Jury

Dr. Mateo Kries, Director, Vitra Design Museum
Jenny Nordberg, designer
Magnus Jonsson, Culture director, Region Jönköping County
Lennart Alves Gernes, Art and Design Developer, Region Jönköping County
Elna Svenle, Museum Director, Vandalorum

Questions

Questions regarding the residency can be emailed to lennart.alvesgernes@rjl.se


The Bruno Mathsson Design Residency is run by Region Jönköping County and Vandalorum Museum of Art and Design, with support by IASPIS/The Swedish Arts Grants Committee International Programme for Visual and Applied Art, Region Jönköping County and Värnamo Municipality, in collaboration with the entrepreneur and collector Johan Sjöberg, Bruno Mathsson International, and the Karin and Bruno Mathsson Foundation.