The location in Småland was chosen so that the glassworks could supply both Stockholm and Karlskrona with glass, and the forest provided unlimited access to wood to heat the furnaces. For centuries, skilled craftsmen have created glass in the furnaces, which have been lit since July 26, 1742 - making Kosta the oldest active glassworks in Sweden.

For a long time, glass was considered a luxury. During Kosta Boda's first 150 years, fine glassware - such as window panes and crystal chandeliers - was manufactured and foremost sold to royalty, nobility and the rich merchants who could afford the costly goods. Professional secrets were well kept by the glassblowers, who came from other parts of Europe, and it took several decades before Swedes also learned to blow glass. 

The products that were created were often based on traditional models from the glassblowers' home countries, and at the Stockholm Exhibition in 1897 Kosta was criticized for the fact that the glass largely resembled glass from other parts of Europe. That’s when the idea to hire own designers was born, in order to build a unique design profile. This quickly became an important part of the company.

In 1898, Gunnar G:son Wennerberg was hired as the glassworks’ first own designer. In 1935 the first female artist, Tyra Lundgren, was recruited. Since then, many well-known designers and artists have worked with Kosta Boda and developed the brand. For example Vicke Lindstrand as creative leader, together with people like Erik Höglund, Monica Backström, Ulrika Hydman Vallien, Åsa Jungnelius, Ellen Ehk Åkesson, Göran Wärff, Bertil Vallien and others. The list goes on, and even today our designers and artists are at the core of Kosta Boda's continued development. They all share a passion for design and artistic expression, and always push the boundaries of what’s possible.