About Us

Where we come from

We started Solvej (pronounced sool-vaay) Swings to share happy memories from our respective childhoods and a love for design, craft and the environment.

Founders, designers, makers, Jenny, Thomas and Solvej. The valley where your swings are made.

New parents... 

Thomas Mortimer from Sweden and Jenny Etherington from New Zealand founded the business in 1993 after their daughter, Solvej, was born. As new parents we weren’t pleased with the plastic children's swings on the market, and as cabinet maker and seamstress by trade we decided to create our own natural alternative more inline with our values.

Our company

We have been operating for 26 years, and we are proud to have more than 100 locations in New Zealand, Australia, United States of America, Europe, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates. Our swings have even appeared on Kourtney Kardashian’s holiday gift guide—she uses them for her own children.

Our mission

Our swings are still made right in Jenny’s home village in New Zealand to continue creating regional employment opportunities. We give members of the community a way to support the local economy while staying as environmentally-friendly and sustainable as possible. Check out Our Values to learn more about our social and environmental practices.