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Carl Malmsten Lighting

Swedish, 1888-1972

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.

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Creator: Carl Malmsten
20th Century Swedish Vintage Teak Wood Reading Floor Lamp by Carl Malmsten
20th Century Swedish Vintage Teak Wood Reading Floor Lamp by Carl Malmsten

20th Century Swedish Vintage Teak Wood Reading Floor Lamp by Carl Malmsten

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A light-brown, antique Swedish Gustavian Staken, floor lamp made of hand carved teak wood, designed by Carl Malmsten in good condition. The Scandinavian reading lamp is composed with...

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A Pair of Liljeholmen No. 4 Candlesticks by Carl Malmsten
A Pair of Liljeholmen No. 4 Candlesticks by Carl Malmsten

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A pair of turned birch candlesticks. Documented model "Liljeholmen No. 4" by Carl Malmsten. Circa 1957.

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Mid-Century "Staken" Floor Lamp by Carl Malmsten, Adjustable, Sweden, 40s
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Staken floor lamp designed by Carl Malmsten, Sweden, circa 1940s. An elegant example from one of Sweden's most celebrated furniture designers and a defining voice of Swedish Modern ...

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Carl Malmsten lighting for sale on 1stDibs.

Carl Malmsten lighting are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Carl Malmsten lighting, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original lighting by Carl Malmsten were created in the mid-century modern style in sweden during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider lighting by Marian Zawadzki, Östen Kristiansson, and Stig Lindberg. Prices for Carl Malmsten lighting can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,900 and can go as high as $3,400, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,400.