Figgjo

About Figgjo

Figgjo (formerly Figgjo Fajanse) was established in 1941 by Harald Lima and Sigurd Figved in the then Høyland county - the current Sandnes municipality. In the early days, the company was a small ceramics factory where local clay was used for production. During these years, household items were produced in a softened functionalist style in which the objects were glazed in soft colors.

In 1946, designer and ceramicist Ragnar Grimsrud became co-owner, general manager and manager of Figgjo. He had previous experience as a designer for Egersunds Fayancefabrik and Graverens Teglverk . The same year he designed new factory premises and the company installed a modern tunnel kiln for more rational production. In 1949, the operation was changed to industrialized earthenware production.

After Figgjo's restructuring phase, Grimsrud was given a crucial role in the company's development. He had a distinct sense of form, which left its mark on the product range and was decisive for the sale of goods. Around 1949, Figgjo had 150 workers and 10 salaried employees . During the first half of the 1950s, Grimsrud designed several popular tableware - Sola (1951), Bjørgvin (1953) and Morgedal (1954). Grimsrud's most important product was the catering service 3500 in vitro porcelain. It came on the market in 1962 and is still in production - albeit in a slightly modified version.

As a supplement to Figgjo's permanent design staff, Hermann Bongard was employed from 1957 as a freelance designer. The earliest works reveal that he gained great artistic freedom at the company. He designed a series of vases with graphic decor in typical Bongard style. From the time around 1959, the refractory tableware Vulcanus was launched with the decor A la Carte. It was a big hit, both with Bongard's and other designers' patterns. In 1960, Bongard began as artistic director of the applied art organization PLUS after Arne Lindaas , but he continued to draw for the company for some time afterwards.

In 1965, Porsgrund Porselænsfabrik (PP) came up with a push where they wanted to merge with Figgjo. The company chose to say no to the offer, and a year and a half later, PP merged with Egersunds Fayancefabrik. Fearing PP's increasingly dominant position in the Norwegian market, Figgjo and Stavangerflint chose to merge in 1968. In 1979, the operations at Stavangerflint were closed down and all production moved to Figgjo.

The company has a factory, museum and factory outlet at Figgjo. It specializes in vitrified china for the domestic and professional catering markets. The underglaze backstamps FF, Figgjo Fajanse and Figgjo Flint are found on the company's products.