Today, the name Svenskt Tenn is associated around the world with the vibrant, modernist textiles and furniture of Josef Frank, who was the Swedish company’s chief designer in the mid-20th century. But the term “svenskt tenn” actually means “Swedish pewter,” and the very first goods the company sold were stylish pewter objects, such as an elegant 1927 candelabra found in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum, or a sleek, understated mirror in the collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts. These pieces were designed to appeal to discerning but price-conscious shoppers in 1920s-era Stockholm.
Art teacher and interior designer Estrid Ericson (1894–1981) partnered with pewter artisan Nils Fougstedt (1881–1954) to establish Svenskt Tenn in 1924, and their creations quickly gained a reputation for high quality and affordability, winning a gold medal at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925 — the design fair that brought global attention to the Art Deco style.
The experience of renovating her own apartment in the 1920s exposed Ericson to Swedish functionalism — or funkis, as it was known in Sweden — a branch of modernism that advocated uncomplicated forms, subdued colors and utility. She was inspired to open an interior design department at Svenskt Tenn, and in 1930 the firm introduced its first line of furniture.
Selections included items produced by the companies Gemla and Bodafors, as well as original designs by Ericson and the architects Uno Åhrén and Björn Trägårdh, who had worked together on the redesign and expansion of the showroom. The trio’s furniture was displayed at Stockholm’s Galleri Modern in 1931, where it was met with praise from critic Gotthard Johansson, a leading proponent of Swedish functionalism. Johansson admired the “pure lines” and “modern austerity” of the furniture, establishing Svenskt Tenn as an important voice in Swedish design.
But the signature partnership that would come to define the look of Svenskt Tenn was in part the result of political turmoil and the emergence of Nazism in Europe. When Josef Frank fled Vienna for Stockholm in 1933, he was already an accomplished architect who questioned modernist orthodoxy in design. He disliked tubular steel furniture and believed that monochromatic surfaces were distressing to viewers, while pattern and ornament gave interiors a sense of warmth and calm. Ericson was an admirer of Frank’s work, and offered him the chance to design products for Svenskt Tenn. Their professional partnership, particularly in textile design, would eventually become one of the hallmarks of Swedish modernism.
Frank and Ericson collaborated from 1934 until Frank’s death in 1967, with Frank creating unmistakable, bold designs and Ericson employing her flair for interiors, merchandising and display. The pair called their shared approach “Accidentism” or “The Happy Chances Philosophy,” mixing and matching the new and antique, the serious with the playful and pattern with solid colors to find eclectic new combinations in their showroom.
Frank’s textiles are like a visual catalogue of exotic plants and flowers, geological formations and maps, inspired in part by Ericson’s world travels and by Frank’s love of folk art. Svenskt Tenn continues to sell fabric, wallpaper and household goods, many of which sport variations of Frank's signature botanical motifs. Antique and vintage Svenskt Tenn pewter, lighting, furniture, textiles and decorative objects are generally priced anywhere from $2,500 to $25,000 depending on scale and condition.
The tenets of Scandinavian modernism are as fresh and relevant now as they were in the 1950s — light-filled and airy rooms with white walls are perfect settings for comfortable furniture upholstered in one of Josef Frank’s indelible patterns, and nearly a century since its founding, the signature aesthetic of Svenskt Tenn remains as distinctive and timeless as ever.
Find antique and vintage Svenskt Tenn mirrors, seating, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn 'B 965' Coffee Table in Walnut and Marble
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn 'B 965' coffee table, walnut, marble, Sweden, design 1938 An iconic 'B 965' coffee table, designed by Josef Frank for Firma Svenskt Tenn in 1938. This e...
Marble
Vintage Swedish Sofa Table by Josef Frank, Beechwood, Mid-Century
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish sofa table "diplomat" made of hand crafted polished Beechwood, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt...
Beech
Pair of bedside tables 'Model 914' designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Model 914 is a refined bedside table designed in the 1950s by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn. Executed in mahogany, the piece is defined by clear proportions and a practical, well-bala...
Brass
Midcentury Modern Library Table/Sideboard by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Striking library table or sideboard by Josef Frank, model 2226. Crafted from mahogany with brass drawer handles.
Mahogany
Midcentury Modern Cabinet by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, 1960s
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Rare cabinet by Josef Frank, made in elm with beautiful woodgrain. Signature design with an array of drawers on an elevated, airy base.
Elm
Mahogany Table Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
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...
Mahogany
Bedside Table Model 914 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, 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...
Brass
Mid-Century Modern Gueridon Table by Josef Frank, Maplewood, 1950
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
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'...
Maple
Pair of bedside tables 'Model 914' designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Model 914 is a refined bedside table designed by Josef Frank in the 1950s for Svenskt Tenn. Executed in mahogany, the design is defined by its clear proportions: a rectangular top wi...
Mahogany
Occasional Table Model 2168 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
By Svenskt Tenn, 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...
Marble
Josef Frank Folding Bar Cart or Side Table by Svensk Tenn
By Josef Frank
Located in Munich, DE
Light and easy to store foldable table with a nice print by Josef Frank.
Formica
$4,800 / set
H 15.74 in W 14.96 in D 14.96 in
Mid Century Side Tables Walnut Wood Josef Frank, circa 1955
By Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Austrian side tables attr. Josef Frank, circa 1955- priced as a pair Austrian side tables. Rare pair of small side tables in very good condition attributed to Josef Frank. These tab...
Walnut
Midcentury Desk by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Beautiful desk by Josef Frank, made from mahogany with a smooth look. Clean lines and subtly rounded forms, a timeless piece. There are some dents in the table top that have been pr...
Mahogany
Mid-Century Modern Gueridon Table by Josef Frank, Maplewood, 1950
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
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'...
Maple
$4,238
H 21.66 in W 15.75 in D 25.6 in
Bedside Table Model 914 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, 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...
Brass
$23,544
H 18.31 in Dm 47.25 in
Swedish Midcentury Walnut Coffee Table by Josef Frank, Firma Svenskt Tenn, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Striking round coffee table by Josef Frank, model 2139, designed in 1952. Early 1950s edition, made from walnut with an exceptional and beautiful table top with root veneer in an org...
Walnut
$6,900
H 23.75 in W 31.5 in D 31.5 in
Vintage Mahogany Coffee Table by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
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...
Metal, Brass
Art Deco Coffee Table by Josef Frank, Cuban Mahogany, Sweden, 1920s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
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...
Mahogany
$20,601
H 21.46 in Dm 22.25 in
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...
Walnut
Circular side table attributed to Josef Frank - 1940s
By Josef Frank
Located in Paris, FR
Tripod side table attributed to Josef Frank - Sweden 1940 Circular top in walnut burl wood resting on 3 large elegant legs. Possibility of grouping with a square table. Dimensions:...
Wood
$3,973
H 17.72 in W 32.68 in D 22.25 in
Midcentury Bar Trolley by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Mahogany serving trolley by Josef Frank. Simplistic to the core with a clean silhouette and great proportions.
Mahogany
$8,122
H 24.02 in Dm 23.82 in
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...
Spruce, Walnut
Mahogany Side Tables by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Set of 2
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Göteborg, SE
The Side Tables by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn are a stunning and iconic collection of furniture pieces designed by the celebrated architect and designer, Josef Frank, in collaborat...
Brass
Sold
H 21.75 in W 21.75 in D 14.5 in
20th Century Swedish Svenskt Tenn Set of Cherry Nesting Tables by Josef Frank
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A light-brown, vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish set of three nesting tables, model 618 made of hand carved Cherrywood, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn, in good...
Cherry
Sold
H 22.25 in W 25.79 in D 15.75 in
Occasional/Bedside Table Model 914 Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Sweden, 1950s. Mahogany and brass. Measures: H 56.5 cm/ 22 1/4" L 65.5 cm/ 2' 2 1/4" W 40 cm/ 1' 4 1/4".
Brass
Sold
H 23.23 in W 21.26 in L 23.23 in
Pair of Multicolored 1970s Side Tables by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Vienna, AT
Pair of charming folding side tables with tray top designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn. They feature a dark green foldable metal base and the tray tops show two different designs from Josef Frank´s...
Metal
Sold
H 22.05 in W 15.75 in D 25.6 in
Scandinavian Midcentury Bedside Tables by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Karlstad, SE
A pair of bedside tables in mahogany, model 914 by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, 1950s. These bedside tables show a very minimal design with great details. Condition: Very good re...
Brass
Sold
H 30.32 in W 19.69 in D 31.5 in
Midcentury Brass Bar Cart by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Saarbruecken, DE
Midcentury brass bar cart by Josef Frank for manufacturer Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s Made of tubular and perforated brass. Black tin tabletops. Trays removable. Great unrestored ...
Brass
Sold
H 18.9 in W 31.5 in D 31.5 in
Occasional Table, Marble Top by Josef Frank, Firma Svenskt Tenn, 1940s-1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
An occasional table with marble top. Designed by Josef Frank for Firma Svenskt Tenn, 1940s-1950s.
Marble
Mahogany Side Table with a Drawer by Josef Frank
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
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.
Mahogany
Mahogany Side Table by Josef Frank
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Elegant mahogany side table by Josef Frank with dramatic pyramid veneer and clean, sculpted legs. A rim runs along the almost half of the tabletop, framing it nicely.
Mahogany
Pair of Mahogany Side Tables by Josef Frank
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Graceful and elegant mahogany side tables by Josef Frank, with the lovely detail that the stabilizing bars narrow off where they are joined with the legs.
Mahogany