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.
Side Table by Bruno Mathsson, Sweden, 1968
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Karlstad, SE
A refined side table by Bruno Mathsson, designed in 1968, showcasing his signature balance of lightness and structural clarity. The round tabletop in teak veneer rests on elegantly c...
Birch, Teak
Swedish Coffee Table by Bruno Mathsson
By Bruno Mathsson, Firma Karl Mathsson
Located in Karlstad, SE
An elegant and understated table in birch, designed with the lightness and organic simplicity closely associated with Bruno Mathsson’s work. The softly rounded top is paired with sle...
Birch
Occasional Table ‘Annika’ Designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Occasional table ‘Annika’ designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden, 1976. Birch. Stamped. H: 41.5 cm Diameter: 65 cm
Birch
Occasional Table ‘Annika’ Designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Occasional table ‘Annika’ designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden. 1967. Birch and Oregon pine top. Stamped. This round “Annika” oc...
Birch, Pine
$1,055 / item
H 18.12 in W 8.67 in D 15.75 in
White Carrara Marble Minimalist Oval Side Table “Column Side Table S”
By Josep Vila Capdevila
Located in Terrassa, Catalonia
The Column Side Table Small is a minimalist style side table consisting of a treated Carrara marble base, a white lacquered aluminum oval shape...
Marble, Carrara Marble, Aluminum, Brass
Side Table in the Manner of Axel Einar Hjorth Produced in Sweden
By Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare side table in the manner of Axel Einar Hjorth. Produced in Sweden.
Leather, Pine
$1,011 / item
H 18.31 in Dm 16.54 in
“Triumph Side Table” White Carrara Marble Minimalist Side Table by Aparentment
Located in Terrassa, Catalonia
The Triumph Side Table is a sculptural table made of Carrara marble, lacquered aluminum, and brass, thoughtfully assembled to achieve a refined bala...
Marble, Carrara Marble, Aluminum, Brass
$1,253 / item
H 18.51 in Dm 13 in
“Plus Side Table” Black Marquina Marble Minimalist Side Table by Aparentment
By Josep Vila Capdevila
Located in Terrassa, Catalonia
The Plus Side Table is a minimalist style side table made of treated Marquina marble. This side table is composed of a circular marble top, supported b...
Marble
$9,950
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
$1,164
H 13.78 in Dm 21.66 in
Swedish Bruno Mathsson Coffee Table Annika, Masur Birch by Karl Mathsson Sweden
By Bruno Mathsson, Karl Mathsson
Located in Silkeborg, Silkeborg
Small round coffee table model Annika designed by the Swedish furniture designer and architect Bruno Mathsson (1907-1988). The table is made of birch with masur birch on the top The...
Birch
$1,557 / item
H 16.54 in Dm 14.57 in
“Minus Side Table” Black Marquina Marble Minimalist Side Table by Aparentment
By Josep Vila Capdevila
Located in Terrassa, Catalonia
The Minus Side Table is a minimalist style side table made of treated Marquina marble. This side table is composed of a circular marble top, supported...
Marble
$1,498Sale Price|20% Off
H 16.34 in Dm 25.6 in
“Annika” Curly Birch Coffee Table by Bruno Mathsson for Dux, Sweden, 1960s
By Dux of Sweden, Bruno Mathsson
Located in Karis, Nyland
A round curly birch-veneered “Annika” coffee table designed by Bruno Mathsson and produced by Dux in Sweden. The table has a light, functional form with a circular top and slender, t...
Beech, Birch
$4,038
H 25.6 in W 37.41 in D 37.41 in
'Annika' Table Designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden, 1936
By Bruno Mathsson, Karl 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
“Annika” Coffee Table by Bruno Mathsson
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
“Annika” coffee table by Bruno Mathsson, made from birch with a round root table top. Beautiful curved legs. This is an early edition made in the 1930s, gra...
Birch
$1,820
H 11.54 in W 47.25 in D 23.63 in
Birch Coffee Table by Bruno Mathsson, Karl Mathsson, Sweden, 1973
By Bruno Mathsson, Firma Karl Mathsson
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Coffee table by Bruno Mathsson, made from birch. Very low design, with elegantly rounded corners and curved legs.
Birch
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
Sold
H 18.51 in W 39.38 in D 39.38 in
Coffee Table Made In White Laminat Top By Piet Hein & Arne Jacobsen From 2018
By Bruno Mathsson, Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen, Piet Hein
Located in Lejre, DK
This coffee table, designed collaboratively by Piet Hein, Bruno Mathsson, and Arne Jacobsen, is a testament to the enduring appeal of mid-century modern design principles adapted to ...
Aluminum
Sold
H 22.05 in Dm 37.41 in
Bruno Mathsson Annika Coffee Table, Made by Karl Mathsson, Sweden, 1940s-1950s
By Firma Karl Mathsson, Bruno Mathsson
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A large Bruno Mathsson circular coffee table, manufactured by Karl Mathsson, Sweden in the 1940s or 1950s with makers label attached. Birch legs and an ashwood top. Very good vintage...
Ash, Birch
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
Bruno Mathsson Low Side or Magazine Table by Karl Mathsson in Sweden
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare Bruno Mathsson low side or magazine table produced by Karl Mathsson in Sweden.
Beech