Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
As the descendant of four generations of Swedish master cabinetmakers, Bruno Mathsson was born to design furniture. Mathsson was known as a methodical perfectionist who made usefulness the fundamental attribute of his iconic lounge chairs, tables, armchairs and other works, yet he was also a ceaseless experimenter, who constantly searched for improvements in form, materials and methods of design.
Like the Finnish designer Alvar Aalto, Mathsson was one of the first Scandinavians to embrace undulating, biomorphic forms in furniture. His early pieces such as the Eva and Pernilla series of chairs incorporate dramatically flowing bent beechwood frames, making them some of the most instantly recognizable works of 20th-century design.
Mathsson was also a pioneer of ergonomics — he is said to have based the contours of his chairs on the impression his body made when he sat in a snow bank — and used supple, accommodating woven webbing for seats. His concern for practicality is shown by pieces such as the Maria table. An elegant design with gate legs and hinged leaves, the table measures more than nine feet long when fully extended, but folds down to just nine inches in thickness.
From the mid-1940s through the 1950s, Mathsson focused on architecture, designing and building houses with insulated, triple-glazed window walls and heated floors — construction that flew in the face of traditional wood-clad Swedish residential design, and consequently met with some skepticism. He returned to furniture in the 1960s, employing an entirely new suite of materials: Stainless-steel framing and mesh seats feature in pieces like the Jetson chair; with the mathematician Piet Hein, Mathsson designed the Super-Elliptical table, which has a laminate top and four-part tubular steel legs that sprout like flower stems from a single base.
Bruno Mathsson’s stylistic flexibility as a designer made him a creator whose pieces meet all tastes and needs.
Find vintage Bruno Mathsson dining tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Steel, Nickel
1930s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Early 1900s Swedish Gustavian Antique Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Paint
1920s Swedish Art Deco Vintage Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Birch
Early 19th Century Swedish Folk Art Antique Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Pine
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Teak
20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Wood
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Elm, Walnut
1920s Swedish Art Deco Vintage Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Birch
Early 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Antique Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Birch
Early 19th Century Swedish Country Antique Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Brass
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Oak
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Birch
Mid-19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Antique Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Metal, Brass
1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Birch
Early 20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Bruno Mathsson Secretaires
Birch, Rosewood
