Orno 1939 Lighting Catalogue

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Orno 1939 Lighting Catalogue

Orno – Stockmann-Orno A.B.

Stockmann-Orno A.B. was a major lighting factory, founded in 1921 in Helsinki, Finland. In 1936, Stockmann became the owner of Orno an the company moved to Kerava in 1937.

Before and during World War II the luminaires were designed by Bertel Lindholm, Gunilla Jung-Pircklén and Gunnel Nyman. From the late 40s to the 60s, Orno’s main lighting designers were Lisa Johansson-Pape and Yki Nummi.

At the turn of the 50s and 60s came Heikki Turunen and Svea Winkler working for the company. In the mid-60s, Japanese lighting designer Motoko Ishii, who had become known since then, practiced at Orno. She became famous for the lighting she designed for the German company Staff & Schwarz Leuchtenwerke GMBH. Also Tapio Wirkkala designed lamps for the company.

Stockmann sold Orno in the mid-80s to Asea, a Swedish company, from which Orno became the owner of Thorn-Em, England. The name changed in Thorn-Orno. The factory closed its business in 2001, but Thorn still exists. Thorn is now part of the German Zumtobel Group.

Some Orno lighting is currently manufactured by at least Keraplast Oy and Innojok Oy.

LIghting Design

The lamps in this catalogue are all designs by Gunilla Pircklén when she was employed by Orno in 1936-38.The catalogue was published in 1939, it contains her last lamps pictured, when she died in childbirth in August 1939. Gunilla Pircklén, born Jung (1905–1939), was a pioneering Finnish designer of silver objects and lamps. Pircklén is known for her original and artistic designs from the 1930s, especially in the field of silver and lighting.

Many thanks to Cyril for the catalogue.

Many thanks to Pentti Kujala for the additional information about Gunilla Pircklén (1905–1939).