Carl Malmsten, Swedish, Pine "Skedblad" Chair
View Similar Items
Carl Malmsten, Swedish, Pine "Skedblad" Chair
About the Item
- Creator:Carl Malmsten (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.44 in (90 cm)Width: 16.15 in (41 cm)Depth: 16.93 in (43 cm)Seat Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1930s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:Stockholm, SE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU194034918463
Carl Malmsten
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.
- Midcentury Set of 4 Carl Malmsten Chairs Dining in Pine, Sweden, 1940sBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Hillringsberg, SEThese midcentury dining chairs were designed by Carl Malmsten. The set of 4 dining chairs made in solid pine with all new qulity linnen fabric upholstery. Good vintage condition,...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLinen, Pine
- Carl Malmsten Lounge ChairBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Chicago, ILMade in: Sweden, 1950 Material: faux sheepskin, beech Size: 30 W × 30 D × 32 H in seat height 16.5 inches Description: Metal manufacturer's labels to underside ‘AB O.H.Sjogr...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- Pair of Carl Malmsten Swedish Grace Inlaid Side ChairsBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Atlanta, GAFantastic pair of Carl Malmsten chairs inlaid rosewood and flame birch. Contrasting wood detail on the inside legs and back. Restored and f...Category
Vintage 1930s Swedish Art Deco Side Chairs
MaterialsMohair
- 1960's Swedish Design by Carl Malmsten Brigitta Dressing Table and ChairBy Yngve Ekström, Carl Malmsten, BodaforsLocated in Tourcoing, FR1960's Swedish Design Brigitta set composed of a wooden dressing table design by Carl Malmsten with its matching wooden and bouclé fabric chair d...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsWood, Fabric
$10,500 Sale Price / set20% Off - 1950ies Solid Pine Chairs Designed by Carl Malmsten for Svensk FurBy Carl Malmsten, Svensk FurLocated in Offenburg, Baden Wurthemberg1950ies Sörgården dining chairs, designed by Carl Malmsten for Svensk Fur in solid pine wood The Sörgården chair was designed by Malmsten and manufactured by Svensk Fur in the 19...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
$790 Sale Price / item20% Off - Swedish Pine Bench by Carl MalmstenBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Dronten, NLMid-Century Scandinavian Modern solid pine bench by Swedish company Karl Andersson and Söner, designed by Carl Malmsten. Nice woodworking details that are also present in the designs...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Benches
MaterialsPine