The Ironmonger’s home

There was a big difference between how people lived in the countryside and in the towns and cities in the 1930s. In his 1938 book about poor living conditions in Sweden, the writer and journalist Ludvig Nordström described how the rural poor often lived in draughty homes with just one room.

In the Ironmonger’s home, which recreates a home in a medium-sized city, living conditions were much better. Each room was heated by a radiator, and old-fashioned tiled stoves were no longer needed. There was electric lighting in every room, and the kitchen had running water and a sink.

Tinned foods, root vegetables and other foods were stored in a large, cool pantry. Milk and cream, which needed to be colder, were kept in the icebox in the hallway. The icebox – a predecessor of our modern-day fridge – was a wooden cabinet made by the Norden company that was cooled by melting water from a block of ice. The ice was delivered each week by an iceman.

The housewife movement and the vacuum cleaner

In the 1930s, women had more opportunities for an independent life than the previous generation. Both girls and boys attended school and were able to learn a profession.

However, women were often expected to become housewives while men would provide for them after marriage. In 1939, the practice of dismissing female employees because she was pregnant or due to be married was outlawed.

A good housewife would have had an extremely busy life taking care of the home. All the meals had to be cooked, the home had to be kept clean and tidy, clothes had to be cared for and the pantry had to be kept well stocked. Books and magazines provided tips on everything from hairstyles to cooking and napkin folding.

To empower women in their role as housewives, the housewife movement pointed out that household chores were a form of work. The movement welcomed technological solutions that made housework easier, such as the vacuum cleaner. An Elektrolux (now Electrolux) vacuum cleaner can be seen in the cupboards doors the Ironmonger’s Apartment. This device became a loyal servant in many homes.

Functionalism and the origins of the living room

The 1930 Stockholm Exhibition saw functionalism become an established as a design style in Sweden. This can be seen in the kitchen at the Ironmonger’s Apartment, where the kitchen cabinets are smooth and without unnecessary mouldings that needed dusting.

Functionalism strived to achieve function and purpose, and practicality was considered beautiful. It also involved the idea that the entire home should be lived in. The main room – which had previously only been used on Sundays and special occasions – would now be used every day, and became known as a living room.

The living room of the Ironmonger’s Apartment has a dining table with chairs, a sofa and a stained-wood coffee table. A low bookshelf is filled with reference books and cheap novels, while a radio stands next to the sofa and broadcasts news, morning exercise routines and morning prayers.

Reconstruction of a 1930s home

Around the 1930s, Skansen had begun building a block of buildings from the city. At the turn of the 21st century, it was decided that an ironmonger’s store should be added the Old Town Quarter. This led to the idea of also building a home for the ironmonger and his family.

The interior of the Ironmonger’s home is a reconstruction of a modern home from the 1930s. However, the original building was built in 1879–1880, and therefore also has older features such as high ceilings and tiled stoves. All the objects in the home date from the 1930s or before.