With special attention to sustainable practices, ARKET continues to build on the Nordic tradition of functional beauty and the mission to enhance life through well-designed everyday things. The concept of everyday beauty was a major influence on the Nordic modernist movement in the mid-20th century – and one of the starting points for developing the ARKET brand.
Formulated in 1919 by Swedish art historian Gregor Paulsson, ‘Vackrare vardagsvara’ – More beautiful everyday things – became the slogan for a new democratic approach that aimed to bridge the worlds of arts, crafts, and functional form to produce affordable and widely accessible items for everyday use. In the Nordic countries, this ambition was associated with a new ideal of beauty which favoured clean lines, a neutral colour palette and solid materials inspired by nature and the northern climate. Above all, it made functionality and durability the basis for good design.