Carl Malmsten, a prominent furniture designer and educator associated with Swedish modernism, enjoyed immense popularity for his shapely sofas and armchairs in luscious color palettes. Malmsten believed that light — much like our eyes and bodies — doesn’t like to bump into sharp objects. Smooth edges, on the other hand, are kinder to the eye and and to our touch, and allow light to softly bounce off surfaces. Malmsten felt that if his furniture didn’t “serve well” in the home, it had no business being there.
Malmsten’s career essentially began in 1915, when his submissions for a competition to furnish the new Stockholm City Hall were first- and second-place prize winners. In the 1920s, his profile soared. He won a prize at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts — the show that brought the Art Deco style to worldwide attention — and quickly became one of the most sought-after designers of commercial seating in Sweden.
Malmsten was soon contracted to design chairs, tables and other furniture for the Stockholm Concert Hall, the Swedish Institute in Rome and the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. His famous Art Nouveau-influenced Stadshusstolen chair, designed for Stockholm City Hall in 1916, is a highlight of the city’s recently opened Museum of Furniture Studies. Malmsten expanded into interior design and created a luxurious, well-appointed living room in the palace of then-Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and his bride, Crown Princess Louise.
In the 1930s, Malmsten clashed with critics when he voiced his opposition to functionalism. Like Danish modernist Kaare Klint, he favored using quality local materials and prized traditional craftsmanship. Malmsten’s furniture draws on graceful neoclassical influences, and he said that extreme functionalism contributed to “sterile” interiors — while the curving contours of his work may share ground with furniture designed by Alvar Aalto or Bruno Mathsson, Malmsten differed with Bauhaus eminences and some Scandinavian modernists on their prioritization of functionalism.
For an exhibition in 1956 at the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg, Malmsten designed furniture that was intended for mass production — and his striking designs began to make their way into middle-class Swedish homes owing to Malmsten’s partnerships with manufacturers such as O.H. Sjögren. Until then, he had built his pieces at the school he founded in the 1930s or had them made by artisans at several small local workshops.
Malmsten founded a number of schools for design and collaborated with other designers who shared his philosophy of “hand and mind in creative collaboration.” These included the esteemed textile artist Märta Måås Fjetterström, whose pieces he included in exhibits and even his own home.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Carl Malmsten seating, tables, cabinets and more.
$3,097Sale Price|50% Off
1972 Carl Malmsten Unique Longcase “Tidlösa” Clock, Birch and Masur Birch
By Carl Malmsten
Located in London, GB
Carl Malmsten “Tidlösa” Longcase clock in Birch and Masur birch. Case signed Malmstens Verkstadsskola 1977, Carpenter Master Artur Jönsson, clock marked Westerstrands Sweden.
Birch
$5,395Sale Price|20% Off
H 96.86 in W 25.2 in D 11.03 in
Antique Mahogany 8 Day Painted Face Longcase Clock
Located in Suffolk, GB
Outstanding antique mahogany 8 day painted face longcase clock signed Johnson Knaresboro with a swan-neck pediment with original brass finials. This a stunning piece, very decorative...
Brass
$8,324
H 92.52 in W 19.69 in D 9.45 in
Fantastic quality antique George III lacquered and chinoiserie longcase clock
Located in Ipswich, GB
Fantastic quality antique George III lacquered and chinoiserie decorated longcase clock, having a quality brass arched dial, the arch with a name plate signed Jacob Ellry Rumsey surr...
Brass
19th Century French Boulle Longcase Clock
By André-Charles Boulle
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A very good quality late 19th Century French boulle inlaid longcase clock, having wonderful scrolling gilded ormolu mounts, an ebonised case wit...
Brass
19th Century Swedish Longcase Clock, Painted
Located in San Francisco, CA
This lovely " Grandfather" clock has retained it's original painted finish. The face is in good condition, so is the case. The clock mechanism is not in working order at this time, h...
Wood
Swedish Painted Longcase Clock
Located in Bradenton, FL
19th century painted pine tall clock by Mogens Peter Westh. Painted brass face. Clock face contains the designer's name and is dated 1879. Intricate details were created by a true cr...
Wood
ELEGANT 18th CENTURY LONDON LONGCASE CLOCK
Located in Lincolnshire, GB
A George III period fiddle back mahogany longcase clock. The eight day movement with a full brass dial signed Ed Mann, London Fully cleaned with 2 years warranty Circa 1775
Brass
$2,637Sale Price|20% Off
H 65.75 in W 15.36 in D 9.26 in
Antique Edwardian Inlaid Mahogany Longcase Clock
Located in Suffolk, GB
A beautifully proportioned antique Edwardian longcase clock dating from the early 20th century, finely crafted in mahogany with elegant line inlay and a shaped hood. The case feature...
Mahogany
Fine and Elegant 18th Century Mahogany Longcase Clock
Located in Lincolnshire, GB
A fine example of an eight day longcase clock with wonderful full brass dial, moon roller and date hand. The superb mahogany case has a cross banded door veneered in flame mahogany w...
Mahogany
$10,355
H 78.7 in W 27.2 in D 10.7 in
Unique Hand Carved Black Forest Tree Trunk Grandfather or Longcase Clock w. Bear
Located in Lisse, NL
Stunning clock for the collectors of very rare and truly stylish Black Forest antiques. Tree trunk design longcase or grandfather clocks are a rare find and this 6.5 feet tall specimen could hardly be in better condition. All handcrafted and hand carved in the first half of the 1900s this wonderfully naturalistic tree trunk floor clock is the perfect home decoration for anyone with a nature or Black Forest inspired room or interior. This finest workmanship antique comes with the original dial face, weights and pendulum and they all have the same wonderful leaf and flower patterns that complement the tree or forest theme of this work-of-art tall clock. The natural aging of the carved wood has also grown this clock its stunning patina, making it even more of a gem to enjoy and to look at. The large door comes with the original, antique and perfectly beveled glass window which makes this unique clock...
Brass, Iron
Antique Mahogany 8-Day Longcase Clock
Located in Suffolk, GB
Antique mahogany 8 day longcase clock J N Tilbury Guernsey with a swan-neck pediment original brass finial, lovely decorative and colorful arched painted dial wi...
Mahogany
$4,404
H 85.5 in W 19 in D 9 in
Georgian Oak and Mahogany Longcase Clock by Thomas Crawshaw, Rotherham
Located in Norwich, GB
Georgian Oak and Mahogany Longcase clock. The case is made from the finest English oak and crossbanded with mahogany, it has reeded canted corners either side of the trunk door a...
Oak
Art Deco Oak and Mahogany Longcase Clock by Enfield
By Enfield Clock Company 1
Located in Norwich, GB
Art Deco oak cased longcase clock with arched top and mahogany moulding, serpentine shaped base standing on block feet and with glazed trunk door. Silvered dial with Arabic numerals...
Oak