Astrid Sampe

Astrid Sampe was born in Stockholm in 1909. As the only child, a career within textiles was a natural choice, at an early stage. Between 1928 and 1932, she attended the Stockholm School of Arts and Crafts and the Royal College of Art in London. In 1937, she helped to set up the textile studio of the large Swedish chain store, NK. She was head of the studio until it was closed down in 1971. She also managed to take part in the Paris World Exhibition in 1937. In 1939, she took part in the New York World Exhibition; and in 1946 she arranged, along with Elias Svedborg, the "Modern Swedish Home"-exhibition at London Building Centre. In 1949, Astrid Sampe was appointed "Royal Designer, Hon. RDI of the Royal Society of Arts. In 1951, she wove the first fibreglass fabrics. In 1954, she participated in the Grand Prix Triennalen in Milan. In 1956, she received the "Gregor Paulsson statue". The following year, she demonstrated the interior design of a Swedish flat at "Interbau" in Berlin. In 1959, she was given the task of fitting out the women's prison in Hinseberg and the Swedish Embassy in Tokyo. She was also given a number of other assignments by the Swedish Ministry of Public Buildings and Works.

In 1961, she was commissioned by the United Nations to design carpets for the "Dag Hammarskjöld Library" in New York. The same year, she received the Order of Vasa. In 1963, she became a member of the American Institute of Interior Designers, AID. During the remaining part of the `60's, she arranged, amongst other things, the exchange exhibition, "Living off Trays" between the Council of Industrial Design and Peter Jones in London; and the Swedish Institute and NK. She was also responsible for interior design of the state representative residence at Haga Slott , and for fitting-up M/S Saga, M/S Patricia and M/S Hispania; as well as putting on a retrospective exhibition at Borås Museum. In 1979, Astrid Sampe started to make the first computer-based textile patterns produced in Sweden. She was also textile adviser during redecoration of Hotel Reisen, Stockholm, Stockholm Concert Hall, and the new Trygg-Hansa insurance company building in Stockholm. She was also adviser during planning and decoration of the new Borås cultural centre, theatre and museum and in 1980 she was awarded a medal by HM the King of Sweden (8th Grade, bright blue band). At the beginning of the `80's, she acted as adviser during decorating of the Speaker's residence in the Swedish House of Parliament and the Speaker's representative's residence. She also became an honorary member of KIK-STOK (the Swedish Association of Craftsman and Industrial Designers). In the spring of 1984, Astrid Sampe was given the honour of having her work put on display at the National Museum in Stockholm, "Astrid Sampe - Swedish Industrial Textiles". The exhibition was later on show during the summer at Borås Museum of Art.

In 1984, Astrid Sampe was awarded the medal of the Friends of the Textile Art Association, founded by Sofie Adlersparre in 1874. Since her death in 2002, Sampe's unique designs still live on in Klässbols products