Från dekoration till funktion 1930-1940-talens villaträdgårdar

Abstract

This bachelor thesis investigates private house gardens in the Swedish city Karlstad in the 1930s and 1940s. The purpose is to identify whether, and if so, in what degree plants, material and structures are preserved in the gardens from the architect´s original intention. This material is analyzed on the basis of the theories presented by Augustus Pugin and John Ruskin who both discussed the importance of being true to the material. They both were the protagonists of the Arts and Crafts movement which wanted to bring back the skills of the craftsmanship into modern design. Ellen Key and Gregor Paulsson represented the ideas in Sweden. Adequacy, honestly, simplicity and harmony are words to describe the basis of the functionalism/modernism. This is the ideas from which these gardens are created and represented. The study is concentrated to eight gardens in two different districts in Karlstad. By studying these gardens I present what differ in the gardens and what coincide compared with the original ideas. The material is mainly based on plans from landscape architects in Karlstad during the 1930s and 1940s and on interviews with today’s owners of the gardens. The interviews brought light into how people maintain garden structures in spite of transience and new material. The conclusion in this thesis is that a few but significant fragments from plants, material and structures still are present.