20th Century White Swedish Pair of Vintage Birch Dining Chairs by Carl Malmsten
About the Item
- Creator:Carl Malmsten (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 39.5 in (100.33 cm)Width: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Depth: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:West Palm Beach, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1622212802632
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: West Palm Beach, FL
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- 20th Century Danish Set of Twelve Vintage Oak Dining Chairs by Nils & Eva KoppelBy Eva & Niles KoppellLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA vintage Mid-Century Modern Danish set of twelve dining chairs, designed by Nils and Eva Koppel for Slagelse Mobelvaerk, known for their chair mod...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak, Faux Leather
- 20th Century White Italian Set of Six Modernist Brass Dining Chairs by ChiavariBy ChiavariLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA vintage Art Deco Italian Modernist dining chairs made of hand crafted gilded brass, designed and produced in Chiavari in good condition. The legs of the small detailed side chairs are slightly splayed, connected with pairs of cross supports. Newly upholstered in a white velvet. Wear consistent with age and use. Circa 1930, Italy. Seat: 18.25" H x 14" W x 13" D The Chiavarina was created in 1807 in Chiavari, near Genoa, by an Italian cabinetmaker. In 1855, about 600 workers were designing and making Chiavari chairs. After the success, the chair was praised by the King of Sardinia...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- 20th Century Single Swedish Armchair - Vintage Side Chair by Carl MalmstenBy Carl MalmstenLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA white-grey, vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish anonymous armchair with two pillows, designed by Carl Malmsten, in good condition. The seat backrest of single Scandinavian Little Fu...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Upholstery, Birch
- 20th Century Swedish Vintage Rundrygg Lounge Chair & Footstool by Carl MalmstenBy O.H. Sjögren, Carl MalmstenLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA vintage Mid-Century modern Swedish set of a lounge chair and footstool, designed by Carl Malmsten and produced by O.H. Sjögren in good condition. The large Scandinavian reading chair is composed with a headrest, the seat backrest is slightly curved, detailed with outspreaded arms, standing on four small polished Beechwood feet. Manufacturer label underneath the ottoman. Newly upholstered in a white bouclé fabric from Pierre Frey. Wear consistent with age and use. Circa 1940 - 1960, Sweden, Scandinavia. Seat: 17.5" H x 22" W x 21.5" D Ottoman: 18" H x 24" W x 22" D Carl Malmsten was a famous Swedish furniture designer, architect, and educator born in 1888, in Sweden and passed away in 1972. He collaborated with Gunnar Asplund and Uno Ahren. Malmsten has a lasting influence on Swedish design through the two schools which he founded, the Carl Malmsten furniture studies. In 1945, Malmsten was honored for a design with an inaugural Prince Eugen Medal in Sweden. O.H. Sjögren is one of the oldest Swedish furniture companies which is run by the fourth generation. The company was originally founded in circa 1870 by C. Rosén in Tranås, Sweden. In 1902, the Swedish manufacturer ( known today as O.H. Sjögren ) was taken over by Oskar Herbert Sjögren. In the early times, they were producing harnesses, saddles, etc. for horses. Later on, in the 1930’s, when the sons of Sjögren, Gustav and Olle Sjögren...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
MaterialsFabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Beech
- 20th Century French Pair of Mahogany Dining Chairs in the Style of Jules LeleuBy Jules LeleuLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA black-brown, vintage Art Deco French pair of dining room chairs made of hand crafted polished Mahogany in the style of Jules Leleu, in good condition. The upholstered backrest of the Parisian armchairs...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Cotton, Upholstery, Mahogany
- 20th Century White Swedish Samspel Easy Chair, Birch Armchair by Carl MalmstenLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA small, vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish Sample easy, lounge chair designed by Carl Malmsten in good condition. The Scandinavian armchair is standing on four slightly curved Birch...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Cotton, Upholstery, Birch
- Pair of Side Chairs by Carl Malmsten, Sweden, 1930sBy NK (Nordiska Kompaniet), Carl MalmstenLocated in Stockholm, SEPair of beautiful side chairs by Carl Malmsten. Made from stained wood with rattan backs, contrasting elegantly in color. Lovely, flowing lines, light expression.Category
Vintage 1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsRattan, Wood
- 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
- Vintage Swedish Golden Burl Birch Dining Chairs, Set of FourLocated in Atlanta, GASolid golden birch chairs with rare Masurbjork, sometimes also referred to as Karelian birch or Burl Birch, inlaid shield back rests. This is a very special dining chair set, in wond...Category
Early 20th Century Swedish Neoclassical Revival Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBurl, Birch
- Mid-Century Modern Dining Chairs by Carl Malmsten, Set of 8By Carl MalmstenLocated in Atlanta, GABeautifully restored Swedish Modern Gustavian Style vintage dining chair set by renowned Swedish furniture designer Carl Malmsten. Eight sturdy chairs newly reupholstered in Belgi...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLinen, Wood
- Set of four Swedish midcentury pine dining chairs by Carl MalmstenBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Eskilstuna, SESet of four Scandinavian modern pine dining chairs designed by Carl Malmsten during the 1960s. Fits together perfectly with other sports cabin furniture from Sweden. Beautiful o...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPine
- Late 20th Century Cottage Farmhouse Dining Side Chairs - Pair BLocated in Charlotte, NCA pair of Cottage / Farmhouse style dining side chairs, unbranded. Hardwood with a distressed black painted finish, carved ladder backs, natural cherry saddle seats, turned & fluted ...Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Rustic Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsHardwood, Cherry, Paint