Josef Frank Furniture

Table lamp model 2468 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s. Brass with cotton shades. Stamped. Model 2468 is a delightful brass table lamp with three small shades in green, yellow, and red. The lamp has an elegant brass base with three stems that hold the shades at different heights. Because of its tricolour shades, it is known as the “traffic light lamp”. Designed by Josef Frank in the 1950s, this lamp has become a timeless Svenskt Tenn collectable. H: 54 cm W: 42 cm Shade D: 15 cm Josef Frank was a true European, he was also a pioneer of what would become classic 20th century Swedish design and the “Scandinavian Design Style”. Austrian- born Frank started his design career as an architect after having trained at the Technische Hochschule in Vienna between 1903 and 1910. After his training he went on to teach at Kunstgewerbeschule (The Viennese School of Arts and crafts) where he developed and espoused the new school of modernist thinking towards Architecture and Design that was coming to fruition in Vienna at the time. He also went on to lead the Vienna Werkbund throughout the 1920s. This was a truly progressive group of Architects and Designers who set about improving the daily lives of Austrian people through modernist design and architecture in partnership with Arts and Crafts ideals and construction. Frank’s leadership of the Werkbund had already cemented his place at the forefront of European design. Frank’s time in Vienna was typified by his design for the “Die Wohnung” exhibition of the Deutscher Werkbund in Stuttgart, 1927 where he exhibited along side his contemporaries at the forefront of design, such as the likes of Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. Here he showed a specially designed pair of flat-roofed reinforced concrete houses in what is now seen as a typical modernist style. What separated Frank’s house from the other 32 houses of the exhibition was the interior and furniture inside the building. It was described as “Neo-Classical” and filled with an eclectic mix of period pieces, modern design and pieces designed by Frank himself that seemed to cross the two worlds. This was a complete opposite direction to that which his fellow Architects were travelling in with their pared back and angular aesthetics. Frank said of his own work: “The house is not a work of art, simply a place where one lives,” and by this reasoning Frank rejected the regimental mechanisation of the living space that his contemporaries believed in, instead he set about creating congenial and spontaneous interiors. Frank’s practice saw him placing the bright colours and the soft forms of nature back into the furnishings and interiors that he thought modernism sorely mist. Frank, along with Oskar Walch set up Haus und Garten in Vienna in 1925. This was Frank’s first commercial foray into furniture and home furnishings and the company went on to become the most influential furnishing house in Vienna with a riotous depth of colour and interesting shapes becoming the trademark of their design. However this success was to come to an end with rise of Nazism in Vienna in the early 1930’s. Frank was Jewish, and he and his wife Anna decided they would leave Vienna for her motherland: Sweden, in 1933. Frank continued to design for Haus and Garten, visiting Vienna occasionally and designing the pieces that would continue to be the company’s best sellers long after Frank was forced to hand the company over in 1938 after the Third Reich annexation of Austria. When Josef and Anna had moved to Sweden Frank had struck up a working relationship with Design shop owner Estrid Ericson. Ericson was the proprietor of Svenskt Tenn that at this point was a successful interiors shop in Stockholm with the royal warrant of appointment to the Swedish Royal Household. In 1935 Frank had become the chief designer for Svenskt Tenn and had set about putting all of his creative effort into his designs for the company. At the World Expositions in Paris in 1937 and New York in 1939 the world saw for the first time the wealth of products that Frank had been working on, ranging from candlesticks to cabinets, there was not a domestic object that Frank had not subjected to his colourful, comfortable and organic style of Modernism. Frank’s new school of Modernism championed ideas such as chairs having a freeing, open back and that “If one desires the room to be comfortable…all pieces of furniture should allow for a free view of the separating line between the floor and the wall. A cabinet without legs breaks this line and thus reduces the feeling of space.” A world-wide audience tired of classic Modernism’s furniture with solid planes and aggressive forms leapt upon these ideas and Franks natural and bright designs for Svenskt Tenn became internationally desired. Frank created over 2000 designs for Svenskt Tenn and his products continue to be the core of their brand. Frank’s rejections of tubular metal and heavy lacquers within his furniture have insured his unique light form of Modernism continues to influence and flourish today. His natural toned mahogany and walnut pieces along with his tactile leather covered and brightly shaded lighting still bring the forms of nature back into the home. Original Frank pieces are now increasingly rare, highly desirable and are the epitome of “Scandinavian Design”. Renowned Designer and Academic Isle Crawford...

Josef Frank coffee table in walnut and black marble. Manufactured by Svenskt Tenn in 1950, Sweden.

Easy chair 891 designed by Josef Frank for Firma Svenskt Tenn in 1937. Made from solid mahogany, reupholstered in a striking zebra-striped textile. The Austrian architect Josef Frank...

Josef Frank & SCANDINAVIAN MODERN A beautiful bench by Josef Frank, for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1960s. The frame is made of mahogany, upholstered seat with brass nails. The feet are elegantly sculpted and the bench can also be used as a table, end of bed stool...

Rare table mirror designed by Josef Frank. Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden.

An earl mahogany and floral fabric sofa, Model 703, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1940s. Seat height: 17.5”

Stool model 972, a 1940 design by Josef Frank for Firma Svenskt Tenn. Crafted from solid mahogany, it features rich red leather upholstery and decorative brass rivets along the sides...

Stool model 972, a 1940 design by Josef Frank for Firma Svenskt Tenn. Crafted from solid mahogany, it features rich red leather upholstery and decorative brass rivets along the sides...

Art Deco Vintage Wood Armchairs and Coffee Table by Josef Frank Vienna circa 1930. We present a stunning ensemble of two armchairs and one coffee table by Josef Frank, Vienna circa 1...

Art Deco vintage circular like side table or coffee table from walnut, spruce and beech by Josef Frank circa 1926 Vienna. Wonderful side table or coffee table with circular like waln...

Channel Old Hollywood glamour with this fantastic and rare serving trolley designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn. Crafted from pierced brass with scrolled wirework decorating its ...

Channel Old Hollywood glamour with this fantastic and rare serving trolley designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn. Crafted from pierced brass with scrolled wirework decorating its ...

Occasional table model U 601 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1960s / 1970s. Mahogany, glass and brass. The map is a replica of the world map drawn by the Venetian...

Vänskapsknuten (the Knot of Friendship) brass candle holder designed by Josef Frank Candlestick for Svenskt Tenn. Sweden, 1930’s.

Exceptional set of five bentwood armchairs design attributed to Josef Frank, marked Made in Czechoslovakia. The chairs are constructed of steam bent wood, probably beech, and nylon, ...

Art Deco vintage circular side table or coffee table by Josef Frank circa 1927 Vienna. A stunning circular side table with 3 slightly curved feet topped with a beautiful veneered pla...

Art Deco vintage walnut side table / coffee table by Josef Frank for Haus & Garten, circa 1925 Vienna, shows a top with beautiful walnut burl...

A gorgeous and rare foor lamp model 'Neolift' model no. 2018 designed by Josef Frank ca. 1930 for Haus & Garten. The offered piece was manufactured by J.T. Kalmar, Vienna, in midcent...

A light-brown, vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish adjustable floor lamp with a new beige round shade, made of handcrafted Walnut, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn...

Mid-Century original bentwood beech Prague Armchair model 811 designed in the 1920's by Austrian architect Josef Frank and Josef Hoffman for Thonet. The chair is stamped made in Pola...

An adjustable wall light / sconce / task light. Designed by Josef Frank 1920s, produced by Svenskt Tenn, Stockholm, Sweden, c. 1950s. Stated dimensions include lampshade as is il...

Art Deco vintage rectangular walnut organic side table by Josef Frank circa 1925 Austria. A beautiful side table of coffee table by Josef Frank in rectangular form. This stunning and...

Art Deco vintage authentic circular coffee table from cherry wood by Josef Frank designed circa 1932, Vienna. A beautiful circular like coffee table by Josef Frank with 4 ( four ) s...

Stool model 927 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s. Mahogany and rattan. Measures: H: 43 cm W: 43 cm D: 28 cm Josef Frank was a true European, he was also a pioneer of what would become classic 20th century Swedish design and the “Scandinavian Design Style”. Austrian- born Frank started his design career as an architect after having trained at the Technische Hochschule in Vienna between 1903 and 1910. After his training he went on to teach at Kunstgewerbeschule (The Viennese School of Arts and crafts) where he developed and espoused the new school of modernist thinking towards Architecture and Design that was coming to fruition in Vienna at the time. He also went on to lead the Vienna Werkbund throughout the 1920s. This was a truly progressive group of Architects and Designers who set about improving the daily lives of Austrian people through modernist design and architecture in partnership with Arts and Crafts ideals and construction. Frank’s leadership of the Werkbund had already cemented his place at the forefront of European design. Frank’s time in Vienna was typified by his design for the “Die Wohnung” exhibition of the Deutscher Werkbund in Stuttgart, 1927 where he exhibited along side his contemporaries at the forefront of design, such as the likes of Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. Here he showed a specially designed pair of flat-roofed reinforced concrete houses in what is now seen as a typical modernist style. What separated Frank’s house from the other 32 houses of the exhibition was the interior and furniture inside the building. It was described as “Neo-Classical” and filled with an eclectic mix of period pieces, modern design and pieces designed by Frank himself that seemed to cross the two worlds. This was a complete opposite direction to that which his fellow Architects were travelling in with their pared back and angular aesthetics. Frank said of his own work: “The house is not a work of art, simply a place where one lives,” and by this reasoning Frank rejected the regimental mechanisation of the living space that his contemporaries believed in, instead he set about creating congenial and spontaneous interiors. Frank’s practice saw him placing the bright colours and the soft forms of nature back into the furnishings and interiors that he thought modernism sorely mist. Frank, along with Oskar Walch set up Haus und Garten in Vienna in 1925. This was Frank’s first commercial foray into furniture and home furnishings and the company went on to become the most influential furnishing house in Vienna with a riotous depth of colour and interesting shapes becoming the trademark of their design. However this success was to come to an end with rise of Nazism in Vienna in the early 1930’s. Frank was Jewish, and he and his wife Anna decided they would leave Vienna for her motherland: Sweden, in 1933. Frank continued to design for Haus and Garten, visiting Vienna occasionally and designing the pieces that would continue to be the company’s best sellers long after Frank was forced to hand the company over in 1938 after the Third Reich annexation of Austria. When Josef and Anna had moved to Sweden Frank had struck up a working relationship with Design shop owner Estrid Ericson. Ericson was the proprietor of Svenskt Tenn that at this point was a successful interiors shop in Stockholm with the royal warrant of appointment to the Swedish Royal Household. In 1935 Frank had become the chief designer for Svenskt Tenn and had set about putting all of his creative effort into his designs for the company. At the World Expositions in Paris in 1937 and New York in 1939 the world saw for the first time the wealth of products that Frank had been working on, ranging from candlesticks to cabinets, there was not a domestic object that Frank had not subjected to his colourful, comfortable and organic style of Modernism. Frank’s new school of Modernism championed ideas such as chairs having a freeing, open back and that “If one desires the room to be comfortable…all pieces of furniture should allow for a free view of the separating line between the floor and the wall. A cabinet without legs breaks this line and thus reduces the feeling of space.” A world-wide audience tired of classic Modernism’s furniture with solid planes and aggressive forms leapt upon these ideas and Franks natural and bright designs for Svenskt Tenn became internationally desired. Frank created over 2000 designs for Svenskt Tenn and his products continue to be the core of their brand. Frank’s rejections of tubular metal and heavy lacquers within his furniture have insured his unique light form of Modernism continues to influence and flourish today. His natural toned mahogany and walnut pieces along with his tactile leather covered and brightly shaded lighting still bring the forms of nature back into the home. Original Frank pieces are now increasingly rare, highly desirable and are the epitome of “Scandinavian Design”. Renowned Designer and Academic Isle Crawford...

A gold, vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish " Vänskapsknuten " candle holder made of handcrafted polished brass, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn in good condition...

A mahogany and leather upholstered stool, model 967, Svenskt Tenn. Brass nails, Length 44 cm, seat height ca 41 cm. This model was designed in 1938 and is here quoted as being...

Set of six dining chairs model 2027 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s. Mahogany, leather and brass. Josef Frank developed his characteristic style combining e...

Dining table model 1197 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1940s. Mahogany. This simple yet elegant dining table is an excellent example of how Josef Frank combined...

Early midcentury and beautiful patinated brass bar cart or drinks trolley designed by Josef Frank and executed by Svenskt Tenn, Sweden around 1940s to 1950s. The fantastic Scandinavian bar cart which is made of tubular patinated brass has two wood handles, two removable trays in perforated brass, two big wheels...

A pair of adjustable, brass and rattan wall lights, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn, Stockholm, Sweden, c. 1950s. Variable dimensions, measured as illustrate...

Set of four dining chairs model 2027 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn. Sweden, 1950s. Mahogany and leather. Together with Estrid Ericson and her furnishing company, Svenskt...

A brass and paper wall light designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn, Stockholm, Sweden, c. 1940s. Dimensions of back plate (inches) : 3.87 x 1.37 x 0.68 (H x W x D).

Art Deco vintage coffee table or side table from walnut in brown color by Josef Frank 1930s Vienna. A stunning coffee table or side table by Josef Frank 1930s Vienna in beautiful wa...

A square, vintage Mid-Century modern Swedish coffee table made of hand crafted polished Mahogany, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn in good condition. The Scandina...

A pair of wall scones in brass, model 2389. Josef Frank for Firma Svenskt Tenn, Sweden mid-1900s..

Set of six chairs model 2025 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s. Lacquered wood frame and a fabric upholstered seat. Marked. Josef Frank designed this chair i...

Sideboard model 1148 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s. Walnut and alder root veneer. This sideboard model 1148 with two clever extension flaps was designed b...

This elegant floor lamp was designed by Alf Svensson and produced by Bergboms in Sweden in the 1960s. This three-legged design is numbered G34. The design is marked by the three legged base leading to the central tube, all in solid teak wood with a beautiful grain. A brass stem and the light fitting are mounted on top of the teak wood base. The cylinder shade is a custom design in a beautiful linen Svenskt Tenn fabric...

This very rare floor lamp was designed by Otto Schulz and produced by his company Boet in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1928. The elegant design is exemplary for the Swedish Grace style with...

A light-brown, vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish gueridon table with a round top. Designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn, Modell 560. Shellac polished, beautiful bird'...

Josef Frank (1885-1967). Library table. Model number 2117. Firma Svenskt Tenn 1950s. Tops in valnöt, Legs in oak. Measures: L 180, B 55, H 75 cm. Designed in 1951.

Elegant chest of drawers by Josef Frank, made from mahogany. Beveled edges around the drawers, brass handles. Lighter wood stripe inlayed around the edge of the table top.

Serving trolley model 756 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1940s. Veneered walnut and brass. H: 65 cm W: 53 cm Width when fully extended: 89 cm D: 80 cm Josef Fr...

Designed for Haus & Garten, Vienna, c. 1928, manufactured by Thonet-Mundus AG. Dimensions: height 39 cm, 45 x 42 cm. Very good original condition, firm and stable. Some former woodwo...

A single table lamp by Josef Frank for Firma Svenskt Tenn. Sweden, c1938, likely c1940s. Naturally patinated brass, stamped to underside with the model number. No shade wa...

Very beautiful Josef Frank coffee table with a rare burl wood top in excellent condition. Very vibrant wood color and no fading. Originally designed in 1952, this model is from the 1980s and manufactured by Eriksson & Söners Möbelsnickeri Vrena, Sweden. Josef Frank (1885-1967) was an Austrian architect. He studied architecture at the Kunstgewerbeschule. He started out by designing public housing and social architecture. Although at the beginning of his career he was one of the frontrunners of the Vienna...

Candlestick (the knot of friendship) in brass designed by Josef Frank. Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden.

Serving trolley model 470 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s. Mahogany. Stamped. H: 60 cm W: 80 cm D: 45 cm Josef Frank was a true European, he was also a pi...

Floor lamp in walnut and brass, model 2548. Designed by Josef Frank for Firma Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1952.  

Square coffee table by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn. Sweden.  

A rectangular cushion with a "Hawaii" pattern fabric by Josef Frank.

A set of two chairs model 'Kaminfauteuil A 752' (engl. fireplace armchair) designed by Josef Frank and manufactured by Thonet, Vienna, Austria, circ...

Josef Frank side chair or easy chair model no. 2067 from walnut and fabric for Svenskt Tenn 1947, Sweden. A fabulous side chair or easy chair designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Ten...

A Pair of 20th Century Swedish Headboards by Josef Frank in 1939. Made for Firma Svenskt Tenn.

Rare and early candlestick designed by Josef Frank. Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden.

A set of four square cushions featuring vintage fabric by Austrian designer Josef Frank. Each cushion displays a design motif from Josef Frank's "Hawaii" pattern. Cushions may also b...

Bedside table model 914 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s. Mahogany veneer and brass handle. Josef Frank’s elegant bedside table model 914 with sophisticated ...

A brass coated pewter lamp by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn. Model #2332. Conical wicker shade of later vintage. Two available. Only one shade.