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.
Small pine console table by Carl Malmsten, Sweden 1940s
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Eskilstuna, SE
Lovely console table by Carl Malmsten in Sweden during the first half of the 20th century. Made in pine with a elegant design.
Pine
Console Table "Sportstugemöbel" by Carl Malmsten, Sweden, 1950s
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Hägersten, SE
Console or dining table designed by Carl Malmsten in 1953 model "Visingsö", This early example from the Beginning of the 1950s without the added screws on the short ends and visible ...
Pine
$4,356 / set
H 17.52 in W 27.56 in D 16.15 in
Teak "Sladen" “The Sled” Nesting Table by Carl Malmsten, Sweden
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Beautiful “The Sled” nesting table by Carl Malmsten, made from teak. Light, graceful design with sled shaped legs and a discreet decor of inlaid spheres at the edges of the table tops.
Teak
$2,200
H 28.35 in W 51.19 in D 31.11 in
Göran Malmvall Dining Table for Karl Andersson & Söner, Sweden 1950s
By Goran Malmvall
Located in Utrecht, NL
This “Svensk Fur” or ‘Swedish Pine’ dining table is a nod to modernist design with traditional Swedish craftsmanship. The design relays an insight about the society and culture in which it was produced: closeness to nature, the appreciation of a clutter-free environment and the value of quality handiwork. The Malmvall pieces that appeal to most are the models designed for Karl Andersson & Söner, for the sheer fact that they seem completely contemporary and undated. The pieces of the line, such as this table, are often compared to the designs of Axel Einar Hjorth, even though Malmvall’s designs are exceptional on their own merit. Self-taught, Göran Malmvall was a highly skilled cabinetmaker with considerable technical expertise and was renowned for the boldness of his innovations. This table holds a natural expression with its airy and organic design, which is dominated by the natural beauty of the material and the creative use of the tenon and mortise joinery. The rectangular tabletop showcases the solid pine’s pattern, reinforcing the rustic feel. The legs have carved out vertical lines, a smart detail that elongates them optically. Göran Malmvall, the youngest son of Karl Andersson, was a highly skilled cabinetmaker with considerable technical expertise and was renowned for the boldness of his innovations. His expertise can be traced not only in this detail, but also in the legs’ joinery technique. Swedish modern – despite its name – in many ways transcends the word ‘modern’, and so does Malmvall. Like the style, the Svensk Fur pieces can be incorporated successfully into contemporary and traditional interiors alike, lending themselves to a timeless and universal appeal. Condition: In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. Some minor scratches and marks on the wood. Dimensions: 51.18 in W x 31.1 in D x 28.34 in H 130 cm W x 79 cm D x 72 cm H About the Designer: Göran Malmvall (1917–2001) was the youngest son of the manufacturing company’s founder, Karl Andersson. He studied furniture design under Carl Malmsten and was involved with the family business from an early age until 1982, mainly in the capacity of an in-house furniture designer. Self-taught, he was a highly skilled cabinet-maker with considerable technical expertise, and was renowned for the boldness of his innovations. His most notable designs include Svensk Fur, Svitjod and, not least, the KA 72 cabinet...
Wood, Pine
Console Table, Italy 1940s
Located in Greding, DE
Art Deco console table on a U-shaped blackened wooden frame with intermediate metal struts and rectangular table top covered with white goatskin. In unrestored original condition wit...
Metal
Carl Cederholm, Side Table, Walnut, Pine, Sweden, 1940s
By Carl Cederholm
Located in High Point, NC
A walnut and pine side table designed by Carl Cederholm and produced by Firma Stil & Form, Sweden, c. 1940s. Wear consistent with age and use Overall Dimensions (inches): 20.5"H x ...
Wood, Walnut, Pine
Rosewood Console Table by Paolo Buffa, 1940s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Rosewood console table by Paolo Buffa, 40s.
Maple, Rosewood
Coffee table by Carl Malmsten, Sweden, 1960s
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Chorzów, PL
Teak coffee table designed by Swedish designer Carl Malmsten. Made in Sweden in the 1960s. Very good condition, after renovation. The wood has been cleaned and finished with a dura...
Teak
Swedish Maker, Console Table, Pine, Sweden, 19th Century
Located in High Point, NC
A pine console table or demi lune table produced in Sweden, 19th century. Wear consistent with age and use. Overall Dimensions (inches): 28.85"H x 45.5"W x 21.0"D All items ship f...
Pine
Dining Table by Carl Malmsten, 1950
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Los Angeles, CA
wonderful dining table in beech with veneered top, by Carl Malmsten for Waggeryds Möbelfabrik AB, Sweden, 1950, in its smallest configuration the table is round with 45.66 inch diame...
Beech
$5,614
H 29.14 in W 13.78 in D 41.34 in
Swedish Pinewood Gateleg Table “Härjedalen” by Carl Malmsten, 1950s
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Odense, DK
Scandinavian Modern gateleg table model “Härjedalen” by Swedish designer Carl Malmsten in the 1950s. Skilfully executed in solid pinewood with hinges in wood and visible cabinetmaker...
Pine
Scandinavian modern coffee table 'Berg' by Carl Malmsten, Sweden, 1940s
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Eskilstuna, SE
A refined coffee table designed by Carl Malmsten in the 1940s. The Berg model features a beautifully patterned alder root veneer top resting on an elegant solid beech tripod base. ...
Beech
"Utö" Console Table, Axel Einar Hjorth, NK, Sweden, 1930s
By NK (Nordiska Kompaniet), Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
“Utö” console table, made in pine by Axel Einar Hjorth. An iconic early modernist design. “Utö” is one of the series of furniture included in NK:s “Sporstugemöbler”, “sports cabin’s...
Pine
$26,428
H 29.53 in W 55.12 in D 28.94 in
Functionalist "Sketching Table" desk by Carl Malmsten, Sweden, 1930s
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Striking desk by Carl Malmsten, in a rustic design, model called “Skissbordet” (“The Sketching Table”). Made from pine with clean lines, discreet drawer under the table top.
Pine
Modernist Pine console table by Carl Malmsten, Sweden, 1930s
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Console table, model called “Svarven” (“The Lathe”) by Carl Malmsten, in a rustic design. Made from pine with clean lines. Designed in 1935.
Pine
Carl Malmsten Console
By Carl Malmsten
Located in New York, NY
Monumental, Swedish marquetry inlaid console table designed by Carl Malmsten (1888 - 1972). Retailed by Nordiska Kompaniet. Marked with CM Brand, NK ...
Wood
Carl Malmsten Console, Sweden, circa 1950s
By Carl Malmsten
Located in New York, NY
A Swedish light mahogany and fruitwood inlaid console, circa 1950s, designed by Carl Malmsten, the rectangular top with rounded fore corners above a frieze inlaid with leaves and flo...
Mid-Century Modern Console in Mahogany by Carl Malmsten
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Courbevoie, FR
Mid-Century Modern console in mahogany by Carl Malmsten. Light lines. Very nice carpenter work.
Mahogany
Carl Malmsten Sofa Table
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Long Island City, NY
Ingmar Bergman owned one of these handsome "Stora salen" (Great Hall) tables. Designed in 1946 by Carl Malmsten, it possesses a graceful modernity. Many notable details: the wishbone...
Birch
Console table by Carl Malmsten
By Carl Malmsten
Located in New York, NY
Elegant console table by Carl Malmsten for NK Sweden ca. 1930. Birch with darkened woods accent. Burned "CM" to underside with metal tag from NK. 53.75"L x 23.75"D x 29.5"H
Birch