Josef Frank Furniture
Austrian, 1885-1967
Austrian architect and furniture and fabric designer Josef Frank was a leading voice for a gentle, humane modernism. His advocacy of warm, comfortable, eclectically styled environments was highly influential in his adopted country of Sweden, and it’s now widely regarded as a harbinger of the backlash against doctrinaire modernism and the embrace of the homespun that occurred in the late 1960s.
The son of a successful Viennese textile manufacturer, Frank studied architecture at Vienna University of Technology, graduating in 1910. From the first years of his practice, he marched counter to the orderly, symmetrical architectural layouts and decors prescribed by contemporaries such as Adolf Loos.
Frank drafted rooms of varying shapes and called for flexible interior-design arrangements. His furniture pieces are light and easy to move — and his chairs are always made of wood, most often with lushly curved steam-bent arms and slatted backs. Frank openly loathed the tubular steel furnishings and “machine for living” aesthetic promoted by Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and other Bauhaus principals. “The home must not be a mere efficient machine,” Frank once said. “It must offer comfort, rest and coziness…. There are no puritan principles in good interior decoration.”
Frank — who was Jewish — sensed the dire implications of the rise of Nazism in Germany and Austria, and in 1933 he moved to Stockholm with his Swedish wife, Anna. He became the design chief for the furnishings maker Svenskt Tenn and found a perfect match culturally for his brand of simple, relaxed and bright creations. Like many modernists — notably Charles and Ray Eames and Alexander Girard — Frank had a deep love of folk art, which influenced his designs for a wide array of colorful, richly patterned upholstery fabrics, many based on the classic “Tree of Life” motif.
In all his designs, Frank took inspiration from a broad variety of sources. In his furniture, one can discern traces of Asian patterns, Rococo, Italian Renaissance, Scandinavian handicrafts and even Chippendale pieces. As such, the work of Frank — the friendly modernist — is at home in any type of décor.
Find vintage Josef Frank pillows, armchairs, floor lamps and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Color: Brown
Creator: Josef Frank
Stool Boucle by Josef Frank with Paper Label Thonet, 1920s
By Josef Frank
Located in Wien, AT
Designed by Josef Frank for Thonet in the 1920s, with paper label. The upholstery consists of a coconut fiber core, covered with a wonderfully soft English boucle cover made of wool....
Category
Early 20th Century Czech Art Deco Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Wool, Bentwood, Coconut
Josef Frank Side Chair Easy Chair Model 2067 for Svenskt Tenn circa 1948 Sweden
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Vienna, AT
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...
Category
1940s Swedish Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Walnut
Scandinavian Modern Josef Frank Textil, "Navigate" from 1944 in Linen
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Josef Franks printed pattern "Navigare" (Navigate) with sailing ship in squares and rounding against brown bottom. National museum has several of Jos...
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Linen
Floor Lamp, Walnut and Brass, Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Floor lamp in walnut and brass, model 2548. Designed by Josef Frank for Firma Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1952.
Category
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Art Deco Vintage Walnut Side Table by Josef Frank Haus and Garten Vienna c 1925
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco vintage walnut side table / coffee table by Josef Frank for Haus & Garten, circa 1925 Vienna, shows a top with beautiful walnut burl...
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Beech, Spruce, Walnut
Cabinet on Stand Model 2135 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Cabinet on stand model 2135 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn,
Sweden, 1950s.
Cherry wood and alder root veneer.
Signed.
Dimensions:
H: 140 cm / 4' 7"
W: 105 cm / 3' 5 1/2"...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Cherry
Josef Frank Table Lamp
By Josef Frank
Located in San Francisco, CA
A brass coated pewter lamp by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn. Model #2332. Conical wicker shade of later vintage. Two available. Only one shade.
Category
1930s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass, Pewter
Pair of Armchairs Model 789b ‘Captain’s Chair’ Designed by Josef Frank
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Pair of armchairs model 789B ‘Captain’s Chair’ designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn,
Sweden. 1930s.
Mahogany, leather and brass.
Measures:
H: 76.5 cm
W: 58 cm
D: 65 cm
SH: 48 ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Occasional Table Model 2168 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Occasional table model 2168 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn,
Sweden. 1950s.
Walnut and marble.
Josef Frank’s occasional table “model 2168” is one of his rarer models. Its beautifully carved, turned legs...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Marble
Josef Frank Candlestick Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden
By Josef Frank
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare and early candlestick designed by Josef Frank. Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden.
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Pair of armchairs model 789B ‘Captain’s Chair’ designed by Josef Frank
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Pair of armchairs model 789B ‘Captain’s Chair’ designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn,
Sweden. 1938.
Mahogany, leather and brass.
Dimensions:
H: 76.5 cm / 2' 6"
W: 58 cm / 1' 10 ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Josef Frank Armchair Nutwood Fabric Original Haus Und Garten Austria 1930´s
By Josef Frank, Haus und Garten
Located in Vienna, AT
Josef Frank designed this chair circa 1925 in a smaller version and 1930 in a larger, more comfortable one. He used it for the Villa Beer in Vienna, but also for the flat Blitz also....
Category
1920s Austrian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Nutwood
Set of Eight Dining Chairs Model 2027 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Set of eight dining chairs model 2027 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn,
Sweden. 1950s.
Mahogany and horsehair upholstery.
Together with Estrid Ericson and her furnishing co...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Upholstery, Mahogany
Bedside Table Model ‘914’ Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
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 ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Thonet Armchair No. 752 by Josef Frank
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Beach bentwood fully restored with new caning. Made in the 1920s, price per chair 2 pieces available.
Category
1920s Austrian Bauhaus Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Cane, Beech
Art Deco Josef Frank Vintage Circular Walnut Sofa Table Side Table Vienna c 1925
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco vintage authentic sofa table or side table in circular form from walnut and beech by Josef Frank for Haus & Garten circa 1925 Vienna.
While the plate shows a wonderful stel...
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Beech, Walnut
Josef Frank 'Gustav V' Cabinet in Rosewood, Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in The Hague, NL
This elegant rosewood cabinet was designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn in the late 1930's. In the Svensk Tenn archive's furniture book, Estrid Ericson (the founder of Svenskt Tenn) has made a pencil sketch of the cabinet and written "designed for the King", Gustaf V, likely for his 80th birthday in 1938. So this particular model 792 also became known as the Gustav V model.
The rare cabinet on offer here was produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden in the early 1950s. The model was usually produced in pyramid mahogany, only a few pieces were made in rosewood. The cabinet has double doors, veneered in mirorred rosewood, with a solid oak interior with a total of 10 pull-out drawers. Brass key and round brass door hinges...
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Oak, Rosewood, Wood
Marble Coffee Table by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Elegant coffee table by Josef Frank, with a mahogany base and black marble coffee top. Elegant, light base contrasts with the heavy top. Rounded corners.
Category
1950s Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Marble
Josef Frank Dining Table Model 1020 Produced by Svenskt tenn in Sweden
By Josef Frank
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare dining table model 1020 designed by Josef Frank. Produced by Svenskt tenn in Sweden.
Category
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Mahogany, Amboyna
Armchair A63/F by Josef Frank for Thonet Mundus
By Josef Frank
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Armchair A63/F by Josef Frank for Thonet Mundus. Professionally stained and repolished with new seat.
Category
1930s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Bentwood
Josef Frank Art Deco Rectangular Vintage Beech Bast Stool, c 1928, Austria
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco vintage authentic stool from beech and rope bast by Josef Frank circa 1928 Austria.
The rectangular stool appears sleek and simple and throughout its bast seat chess like w...
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Beech
Pair of armchairs model A413F by Josef Frank for Thonet-Mundus
By Josef Frank
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Pair of armchairs model A413F by Josef Frank for Thonet-Mundus with bamboo backrest. Professionally stained and repolished.
Category
1930s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Bamboo, Beech
Set of Six Dining Chairs Model 526 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Set of six dining chairs model 526 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn,
Sweden, 1934.
Mahogany and rattan with seats upholstered in Frank’s "Anakreon" fabric.
Marked "BODAFORS...
Category
1930s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Rattan, Mahogany, Upholstery
Joseph Frank Classic 'Prague' Bentwood Chair
By Josef Frank
Located in Sharon, CT
Nice early example of this famous and perhaps best modern version of the bentwood and woven canning techniques.
Category
1920s Austrian Bauhaus Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Wood
Antique Armchair No. 752 by Josef Frank for Thonet, 1920s
By Thonet, Josef Frank
Located in Praha, CZ
This antique armchair, model no. 752, was designed in the 1920s by Josef Frank for Thonet and originates from Austria. It is made from beech and features an upholstery seat. This pie...
Category
1920s Austrian Vienna Secession Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Beech, Bentwood, Upholstery
Josef Frank Dining Table Model 1020 Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden
By Josef Frank
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare dining table model 1020 designed by Josef Frank. Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden.
Category
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Boxwood, Walnut
20th Century, Swedish Svensk Tenn Cuban Mahogany Coffee Table by Josef Frank
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A dark-brown, vintage Art Deco Swedish coffee, sofa table made of hand crafted polished cuban mahogany wood, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svensk Tenn in good condition. Th...
Category
Early 20th Century Swedish Art Deco Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Art Deco Vintage Brown Beech Armchair Windsor Chair Josef Frank, Austria
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco vintage brown beech armchair or Windsor chair, which was designed by Josef Frank, circa 1925, Austria.
The armchair was made from solid beech, cherry stained and natural lac...
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Beech
Bedside Table Model 914 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
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 brass handles is one of Svenskt Tenn’s timeless classics. It works very well combined with modern or antique pieces. The overall simplicity of form and use of luxurious wood are characteristic of Josef Frank.
L: 65 cm
W: 40 cm
H: 55 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...
Category
1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
White Painted Stool, Josef Frank Upholstery
By Josef Frank
Located in New York, NY
White painted stool with upholstery by Josef Frank, Svensk Tenn length 44, width 36, height 44 cm. Cording is loose but we can replace cording i...
Category
20th Century Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Exceptional Josef Frank Chest of Drawers, Cabinet, Svenskt Tenn, Mahogany, Brass
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Miami, FL
Beautiful chest of drawers by Josef Frank, Mahogany and Brass pulls, six drawers. Cabinet has age-related wear. We will have it refinished for the buyer. Great piece of Swedish Moder...
Category
1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Pair of Bamboo & Rattan Chairs by Josef Frank
By Josef Frank
Located in London, Charterhouse Square
A pair of Bamboo & Rattan Chairs designed in 1947 by Josef Frank in Sweden.
The Austrian born architect is considered to be one of the most important figures in Swedish design. Fra...
Category
1940s Swedish Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Cane
Josef Frank Walnut Vintage Circular Coffee Table Side Table, Austria, 1930s
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Josef Frank walnut vintage round shape coffee table, which was designed and manufactured 1930s for Haus & Garten, Austria.
A beautiful and elegant circular shape of the coffee table,...
Category
1930s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Beech, Walnut
Marble and Mahogany Side Table by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Stockholm, SE
Beautiful side table by Josef Frank, with an oval green marble table top on a slender mahogany base. Deep green marble, lovely sculpted legs and feet.
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Marble
Scandinavian Modern Brass Acrylic Bar Cart Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn Sweden
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Miami, FL
Chic 1950s Scandinavian modern brass bar cart designed by Josef Frank and manufactured for Svenskt Tenn in Sweden.
Made out of tubular and perforated brass. Wire mesh brass tray on ...
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Josef Frank Table Mirror Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden
By Josef Frank
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare table mirror designed by Josef Frank. Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden.
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Josef Frank Stools Model 973 Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden
By Josef Frank
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare pair of stools model 973 designed by Josef Frank. Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden.
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Art Deco Josef Frank Brass Pair of Vintage Table Lamps Vienna 1930s
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco Josef Frank vintage table lamps from brass Vienna 1930s.
A rare original brass pair of table lamps or bedside lamps, each with two shades and two switches
The table lamps or bedside lamps show a pleated vintage lamp shade...
Category
1930s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Josef Frank Easy Chair Model 508 Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden
By Josef Frank
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Very rare easy chair model 508 designed by Josef Frank. Produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden.
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Mahogany, Cane
Mahogany and Brass Chest of Drawers by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Stockholm, SE
Cool mahogany chest of drawers by Josef Frank, with an amazing, playful silhouette. Elegant brass handles.
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Occasional Table Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Occasional table designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn,
Sweden. 1950s.
Mahogany.
H: 45 cm
L: 80 cm
D: 40 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...
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Set of Six Chairs Designed by Josef Frank for Svensk Tenn, Model 725, Sweden
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Set of six chairs designed by Josef Frank for Svensk Tenn, Model 725.
Sweden. 1938.
Mahogany and original leather.
Literature: Kristina Wängberg Eriksson, Jan Christer Eriksson, "Josef Frank Möbelformgivaren", Carlsson Bokförlag, Stockholm 2014, p. K 18
H: 90 cm
W: 58 cm
D: 63 cm
SH: 43 cm
Armrest height: 69 cm (at the highest point)
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...
Category
1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Leather, Mahogany
Nest of Tables Model 618 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenkst Tenn, Sweden, 1950
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Nest of tables Model 618 designed by Josef Frank for Svenkst Tenn, Sweden, 1950. Cherry.
Stamped.
Measurements:
L: 55 cm/ 21 5/8"
W: 36 cm/ 14 1/8"
H: 5...
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Cherry
Coffee Table in Walnut from the 1930s, Designed by Josef Frank
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, Austria
Solid walnut table with two levels designed by Josef Frank in the 1930s.
It is visually beautiful and touching it with the hand one feels the subtleness of craftsmanship.
Table is ...
Category
1930s Austrian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Vintage Josef Frank Mahogany Desk, Sweden, circa 1930
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in New York, NY
Vintage Josef Frank sweeping crotch mahogany four-drawer desk in good condition with brass hardware; circa 1932.
Category
1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Brass
Art Deco Two Vintage Ash Viennese Mesh Armchairs Josef Frank Vienna, circa 1928
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco two armchairs from ash wood and Viennese mesh by Josef Frank, Vienna circa 1928.
The armchairs show a Viennese mesh structure at the back. Furth...
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Ash
Occasional Table Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Occasional table designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn,
Sweden, 1950s.
Mahogany.
Measurements:
H: 60 cm/ 23 1/2''
Length when extened: 104 cm/ 3' 5''
D: 54 cm/ 21 1/2''
Jose...
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Art Deco Vintage Walnut Coffee Table by Josef Frank circa 1925 Vienna
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco circular coffee table or side table from walnut by Josef Frank for Haus & Garten circa 1925, Vienna.
The coffee table features ...
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Art Deco Cherrywood Stool or Ottoman Josef Frank Haus and Garten Vienna c 1925
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco vintage stool from cherrywood and fabric by Josef Frank for Haus and Garten, circa 1925 Vienna.
While the frame from solid cherrywood in an amazing warm color tone the uphol...
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Cherry
Art Deco Era Josef Frank Beech Vintage Windsor Chairs Vienna, circa 1925
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco outstanding and rare set of 6 Windsor chairs designed by Josef Frank for Haus & Garten and executed by Thonet, circa 1925. (Labeled underneath)
The set consists of 5 green Windsor chairs...
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Beech
Art Deco Vintage Brown Beech Windsor Chairs Josef Frank, circa 1930, Vienna
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco vintage Windsor chairs or dining chairs Josef Frank attributed circa 1930 in Vienna and executed by Thonet-Mundus. It features a company´s branding label.
The chairs from br...
Category
1930s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Bentwood, Beech
Josef Frank Art Deco Vintage Brass Table Lamp for J. T. Kalmar Vienna circa 1934
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
A table lamp by Josef Frank and executed by J. T. Kalmar Vienna, which has an adjustable flexible arm with a leather handle.
The renewed lampshade is covered with beautiful multicolo...
Category
1930s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Iron, Brass
Occasional Table, Marble Top by Josef Frank, Firma Svenskt Tenn, 1940s-1950s
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Stockholm, SE
An occasional table with marble top. Designed by Josef Frank for Firma Svenskt Tenn, 1940s-1950s.
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Marble
Josef Frank Art Deco Era Round Walnut Side Table for Haus & Garten c 1926 Vienna
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco circular charming three-legged side table from walnut by Josef Frank for Haus & Garten, Vienna, circa 1926.
The side table was made of solid walnut feet and walnut veneer.
T...
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Walnut, Spruce
Side Table by Josef Frank
By Josef Frank, Haus und Garten
Located in Vienna, AT
Design by Josef Frank for House & Garden, Vienna circa 1925, nut, solid, nut veneer, original condition.
Dimensions:
Height 61 cm, diameter 78 cm.
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Nutwood
Mahogany Side Table with a Drawer by Josef Frank
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Stockholm, SE
Beautiful, innovative side table by Josef Frank, made in mahogany. The upper section has a drawer with a brass handle. Lovely sculpted feet and rims framing the table tops.
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Art Deco Walnut Side Table or Coffee Table by Josef Frank for Thonet, circa 1925
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco Walnut Side Table or Coffee Table by Josef Frank for Thonet, circa 1925
A charming Art Deco side table by Josef Frank for Thonet Vienna from walnut in amazing shape.
The cof...
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Josef Frank Three Legged Stool
By Josef Frank
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A charming, three legged stool, Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden.
Category
1940s Swedish Vintage Josef Frank Furniture
Materials
Cherry
Josef Frank furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Josef Frank furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Josef Frank furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 292 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 7 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Josef Frank were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Svenskt Tenn, Bergboms, and Hans Bergström. Prices for Josef Frank furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $223 and can go as high as $164,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,600.
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