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.
Wall shelves 'Mi 1050' Designed by Bruno Mathsson for Firma Karl Mathsson
By Firma Karl Mathsson, Bruno Mathsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Model Mi 1050 is a wall-mounted shelving system designed by Bruno Mathsson and produced by Karl Mathsson in Värnamo during the 1960s. Crafted in birch and pine, the system is defined...
Steel
Pair of Blue Velvet Wall Shelves or Brackets
Located in New York, NY
Pair of blue velvet wall shelves or brackets. Handmade and covered in silk-rayon velvet. Measures: 12" x 6" x 9" H each.
Velvet, Wood
$1,898 / item
H 3.15 in Dm 21.66 in
Tableau Wall Decoration Shelf Designed by Sara Ferrari for Mingardo
By Mingardo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Tableau is a functional painting, a wall decoration designed to frame everyday objects. Materials: Iron with brassed details Dimensions: Ø 55 cm.
Brass, Iron
A Pair of Carved Gilt Wood Wall Shelves
Located in Lambertville, NJ
A pair of giltwood wheat motif wall shelves, Italy, mid 20th Century, the good size measuring 15 inches high, 12.5 inches wide, and 6 iches deep.
Giltwood
$6,070 / item
H 48.8 in W 59 in D 11 in
"Correas" Wall Mounted Bookshelf Designed by Miguel Mila' for Dessie'
By Miguel Milà, Dessie Studio
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Correas" is a wall mounted bookshelf, designed by Miguel Mila' and manufactured by Dessie', featuring 3 or 4 shelves, fixed to two or three uprig...
Stainless Steel
Pair 19th Century Japanese Wall Shelves
Located in Houston, TX
Late 19th Century Japanese carved wood wall shelves with inlay and painted foliage motifs.
Wood
Chrome & Brass Wall Mounted Shelves
Located in Hanover, MA
Blingy and glamorous 1970s custom made wall mounted shelves consisting of chromed steel single-track shelf standard which is embedded within a chann...
Brass, Stainless Steel, Chrome
$3,900 / set
H 14.5 in W 10 in D 5.5 in
Italian Neoclassic Giltwood Wall Shelves, Wheat Design, Good Condition
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of Italian Neoclassic-style carved giltwood wall shelves with bundle of wheat design and carved balls below the semi-circular shelf surfaces. (PRICED AS PAIR) Condition: Good; ...
Giltwood
Pair of Louis XV Style Painted Wall Shelves
Located in Houston, TX
A 20th century carved wall shelves, each with one-drawer and lovely hand painted floral detail.
Wood
$597 / set
H 11.82 in W 29.14 in D 8.27 in
Pair of Mid-Century Folding Wall Shelves by ULUV, Czechoslovakia 1960s
By ULUV Krásná jizba
Located in Praha, CZ
A rare pair of mid-century folding wall shelves produced by ULUV in 1960s Czechoslovakia. Crafted from maple wood and veneer, these shelves feature a distinctive geometric lattice ba...
Other
$26,539 / set
H 74.22 in W 137.01 in D 91.34 in
Modular Wall Unit "Aggregabili" by Anonima Design for Bonetto, Italy, 1969
By Rodolfo Bonetto
Located in Boom, Vlaams Gewest
Exceptional and highly important modular wall unit from the celebrated "Aggregabili" series, designed by the Turin-based collective Anonima Design and produced by Bonetto, Italy, in ...
Wood
$2,867Sale Price|20% Off
H 87 in W 67 in D 7 in
Large Wall Organizer Uten.Silo I by Dorothee Becker for Design M Ingo Maurer
By Dorothee Maurer-Becker, Design M
Located in BARCELONA, ES
The Large Wall Organizer Uten.Silo I by Dorothee Becker for Design M is an iconic piece of functional design that seamlessly blends aesthetics wit...
Plastic
Pair Early 20th Century Moroccan Wall Shelves
Located in Houston, TX
Pair 1920s or earlier Moroccan wood inlay wall shelves. These wonderful Múdejar design shelves feature abstract geometry, horseshoe, multifoil arches, and honeycombed vaults called m...
Wood
$1,838 / set
H 13.78 in W 31.5 in D 12.01 in
Italian modern Red plastic shelves by Marcello Siard for Kartell, 1970s
By Marcello Siard, Kartell
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern Red plastic shelves by Marcello Siard for Kartell, 1970s Set of fantastic six shelves with asymmetric profile in bright red plastic. There are two types of measures: o...
Plastic
$7,467
H 18.12 in W 31.11 in D 16.15 in
Wall-mounted bookcase module by Finn Juhl, Scandinavian design
By Finn Juhl
Located in Milano, IT
Finn Juhl, Small Wall Console / Floating Bookcase, 1950s A refined wall-mounted console, or small floating bookcase, by Finn Juhl and dating to the 1950s, emblematic of the cultured...
Wood
$1,450 / set
H 8.25 in W 10.63 in D 7.13 in
White Turned Wood Wall Shelves for Vases, Sculpture, Decorative Objects, Pair
Located in New York, NY
A pair of white painted turned wood wall shelves with gallery edge, circa early-20th century. Set can be used to display vases, sculpture, decorative objects, seashells (demonstrated...
Wood