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.
Pair of Bruno Mathsson Side Tables
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Pair of side tables designed by Bruno Mathsson and manufactured by Firm Karl Mathsson. Tops with highly figured burled birch veneer. Signed to bottom of tables.
Birch
Pair of Modern Walnut Side Tables
By Theodore Alexander
Located in Westwood, NJ
A Pacific walnut side table, the square top with rounded corners and a reeded edge above a similar under tier, on bobbin turned legs. Dimensions: 26" W x 26" D x 28.5" H.
Wood
Pair of Jacobean Round Side Tables
Located in Westwood, NJ
A Jacobean style round side table with an ogee top edge, in our distressed rustic country wood tone with natural highlights, with a hand rubbed satin finish. Dimensions: 24" W x 2...
Wood
Pair of Jacobean Style Side Tables
Located in Westwood, NJ
A Jacobean style rectangular one-drawer side table with an ogee top edge, in our distressed rustic country wood tone with natural highlights, with a hand-rubbed satin finish with a b...
Wood
Pair of Early English Side Tables
Located in Westwood, NJ
Early English mahogany and reclaimed oak occasional 'Joynt' table, the planked rectangular top with a molded edge, above a paneled frieze with gently splayed turned legs terminating in block feet joined by a planked tray...
Wood
Pair of Regency Style Side Tables
Located in Westwood, NJ
Regency style side table with a wooden gallery top, molded edge, with a pull-out slide about a lower shelf with drawer and turned legs all in ...
Wood
$9,741
H 11.42 in W 51.19 in D 15.75 in
Bruno Mathsson Side Table Produced by Karl Mathsson in Värnamo, Sweden
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare side / magazine table designed by Bruno Mathsson. Produced by Karl Mathsson in Värnamo, Sweden.
Metal
Pair of Murano Tile Side Tables
By Edward Wormley
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A pair of charming side tables with Murano tiles, set in random pattern.
Walnut
$3,953
H 25.6 in W 37.41 in D 37.41 in
'Annika' Table Designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden, 1936
By Karl Mathsson, Bruno Mathsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Table Annika designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden. 1936. Elm top and birch legs. Measurements: H: 65 cm / 2' 2" D: 95 cm / 3' 1 7/8" This round “Annika” occasional table was manufactured in 1967 and designed in 1936; it is made of birch with a smooth Oregon pine top. Bruno Mathsson created various iterations of his “Annika” model — they come in three shapes with different wood combinations and various heights. They can be round with three legs, square with four legs, or rectangular with six legs, allowing exciting and contrasting combinations when grouped. While the design aesthetic is delicate, the table is very well-made because of the strong plywood. Bruno Mathsson’s love for nature pervades all his designs — he frequently slept outside in the forest or his garden on a specially designed foldable bed. His furniture shapes, particularly the legs, bring bull's horns or insects to mind. Mathsson was one of the most important Swedish designers of the 20th century. He was a contemporary of Alvar Aalto and Marcel Breuer, all of whom had already experimented with bent plywood during the 1930s. Karl Mathsson, Bruno Mathsson's father, was the fifth generation in a family of master cabinet makers. He owned a furniture manufacturing company that produced the earlier pieces; later, they founded "Mathsson International”. The stamp indicates the manufacturing date and, sometimes, the design date. Bruno Mathsson often gave his furniture Swedish woman...
Birch, Elm
Pair of Round Lacquered Side Tables
By Eileen Gray
Located in New York, NY
A contemporary pair of large side tables finished in white lacquer. The tables have elegant classic twists supporting the top letting the lig...
Reclaimed Wood
Pair of Contemporary Handcrafted Side Tables
By SUM Furniture
Located in London, GB
Beautifully hand-turned and handcrafted pair of solid English ash side tables. Designed and made by our craftsman in England, the piece explores the expressive traditional turning t...
Ash
Pair of Lucite Waterfall Side Tables
By Charles Hollis Jones
Located in New York, NY
Nice pair of heavy cast Lucite end or side, tables. Well made and thick, sturdy and in very good original condition, showing only very light cosmetic wear to Lucite surface. Clean an...
Lucite
Pair of Design Chrome Side Tables
Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France
This pair of very nice design side tables is made of chrome with thick glass shelves. This is a French work, circa 1970.
Chrome
Classic Modernist Bruno Mathsson Annika Table, for Karl Mathsson / Sweden
By Bruno Mathsson, Karl Mathsson
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nice diminutive modernist Annika side table designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Nice original condition, Signed underside.
Birch, Maple
Low Table by Bruno Mathsson
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Lejre, DK
Low table with marble top by Bruno Mathsson. Made in Sweden circa 1965, Great original condition.
Marble