lost boberg

The lost Boberg

Food Cabinet in Cleft Ash


A project in collaboration with Rohsska Design Museum in Göteborg:

an interpretation of Ferdinand Boberg cabinet from 1900.


The original Boberg cabinet, made in 1900, is lost. The one displayed in Rohsska is a replica from 1909, made for the World exhibition, and is supposedly same as the original. But what if the two cabinets weren’t the same at all: what if the difference between  the two cabinets was the difference between two family faces, the intimate and the public? Obviously, the one for the exhibition displayed the refined, intricate, noble image. Could it be that the intimate one – the lost one – was more profane and not that noble at all? What if the original Boberg cabinet was actually made for storing dried meat?


So here’s the lost Boberg cabinet: a cabinet for storing food. Dried meat goods, cheese, or garlic, with hooks hanging from its ceiling, and pull-out chopping board for slicing the goods. Rough surfaces of cleft wood reflect the food manufacturing processes, where knives and axes are used, and approximate size of pieces is more important than straight lines or clean edges.


Made in ash wood, with generous help from Martin Horgan and Juan Cappa. Forged iron hooks by Jokum Lind Jensen.