Textile artist Ingrid Dessau is one of Sweden's foremost designers. She has been honored with several awards and is behind the Nobel cloth and the Nobel napkins.

Ingrid Dessau comes originally from Skåne, the southern region of Sweden, and has her roots in the Swedish handicraft. After her studies at the Swedish School of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, and her first exhibition in 1953, Ingrid Dessau has been the designer of Kasthall carpet factory and later at Kinnasand. She is one of Sweden’s foremost designers and has created many classic patterns and decorative designs for textiles, handwoven and hand-tufted carpets and rugs. Her work has received many awards and among her clients are banks, embassies and museums. In addition to her work in Sweden, she is also frequently commissioned by international companies.

The Nobel tablecloth and napkins are one of a series of high-profile assignments of Ingrid Dessau. She initiated the design with inspiration from a small, classical box design, found on a tablecloth which was woven at the Dylta factory, and developed it. The design work resulted in a tradition-based tablecloth and napkins which were supposed to enhance the environment of a modern table setting.
The Nobel presentation took place at the Nobel Banquet Jubilee in 1991 and considering the appreciation at this time and the development since, there is only one word – success! The choice of material and the design highlights the Nobel tablecloth and napkins as a brilliant table setting of very high quality.