Yoga by Lisa Larson by Design House Stockholm

Yoga No 3 by Lisa Larson, Image Credit: Design House Stockholm  

Design House Stockholm proudly presents ‘Yoga’ by iconic designer Lisa Larson, a unique collection of four sculptures that merge art with philosophy. Raw, unglazed figures that capture the interplay between body and soul in a deeply personal tribute to yoga’s power to bring strength, inner stillness, and peace.

Yoga held a significant place in Lisa Larson’s life and when it arrived in Sweden in the 1970s she was one of the first to embrace the philosophy of yoga. Larson created these figurines both to memorize yoga poses and as a reminder to dedicate time to practice them. They embody the essence of yoga, where each pose expresses both tension and relaxation – a harmonious balance between movement and stillness.

‘It’s hard to put into words. It’s about how the body moves naturally. You can be stressed and exhausted, and suddenly you set all your worries aside, lie still, and breathe slowly’ said Lisa Larson, ‘Yoga kept me grounded’.

Lisa Larson’s yoga sculptures, designed in 1982 represent her creativity at its most personal level. Four sculptures playing with light and shadows, embodying the urge to truly connect with oneself. For decades, they sat in her studio serving as a gentle reminder: do your yoga! And indeed, Lisa practiced her yoga exercises to cultivate a sensuous connection with her inner self. Her figurines became an artistic interpretation of that journey, depicting yoga movements through a sculptural language of balance and harmony.

Yoga No 2 by Lisa Larson, Image Credit: Design House Stockholm    

Yoga No 4 by Lisa Larson, Image Credit: Design House Stockholm    

‘I remember the silence in that big living room, how you would sink into a pose for several minutes and simply relax’ says Larson, ‘Yoga gave me a deep calm, a meditative stillness – a peaceful serenity’.

The new yoga figurines mark a clear departure from Lisa Larson’s more decorative works. They do not focus solely on external beauty but rather on the inner strength and mental calm that yoga offers. The stylized bodies of the Yoga figurines are pragmatic and straightforward, beyond any aesthetic presumptions. The plump and roundish human shapes stand in sharp contrast to the vigorous tensile forces in an exercise. Grounded and highlighted on their little woven bamboo mats, the Yoga figurines serve as reminders. Just as a clock tells us the time or an armchair offers rest, these sculptures speak to our inner selves as a gentle reminder to strive for inner balance.

‘We fell in love with them the moment we saw them in her studio’ says Anders Färdig, founder of Design House Stockholm. ‘They are an expression of true emotional functionality – celebrating the inner balance and strength of the human body as an expression of mental well-being’.

Margot Barolo, Design Director at Design House Stockholm worked in close collaboration with Lisa Larson to adapt the studio pieces from 1982 into a larger production series.

‘We had many discussions about how bodies change and behave in motion’, says Margot Barolo, ‘we needed to adapt her pieces to allow the slightly pigmented stoneware to shrink during the firing and ensure that the proportions of the originals remained unaltered.”

Lisa Larson is one of Sweden’s most beloved names in ceramics. Rising to prominence in the early 1950s, she became known both nationally and internationally, particularly in Japan, for her distinctive sculptures and figurines. Handpicked by the Gustavsberg Porcelain Factory at the age of 23, and granted freedom to create in her own studio, her initial one-year assignment turned into a 26-year journey, creating unique sculptures and figurines produced in larger series. In 1980, she ventured into freelancing, expanding her craft even further.

Yoga Series, Image Credit: Design House Stockholm    

Lisa Larson, Image Credit: Design House Stockholm    

‘In my mind, the figurines capture both endurance and relaxation, movement and calmness’, says Lisa Larson, ‘Clay is such a wonderful material; it’s so malleable. I enjoy it incredibly when I get it just right’.

Stockholm Design Week | February 4 – 9 | Gotgaten 14, 11846 Stockholm

During Stockholm Design Week, Design House Stockholm presents DROPPING NOW – an exhibition curated by Ray Atelier featuring the latest new launches.

Tues to Friday 9:00 – 18:00 | Sat 11:00 – 17:00 | Sun 11:00 – 16:00 | Late night Thurs 6 February 19.00 – 01.00