Carl Malmsten Mid Century Sofa Model "Lillsoffan" Produced in Sweden, 1950s
View Similar Items
Carl Malmsten Mid Century Sofa Model "Lillsoffan" Produced in Sweden, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Carl Malmsten (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.53 in (75 cm)Width: 54.34 in (138 cm)Depth: 26.78 in (68 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Stockholm, SE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5488230092532
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.
- Carl Malmsten "Farmor" Mid Century Armchair in Sheepskin Produced in Sweden 1950By Carl MalmstenLocated in Stockholm, SERare and early mid century armchair model "Farmor / Grandmother" by Carl Malmsten in beech and newly upholstered dark grey sheepskin with a matching leather head cushion. In good con...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSheepskin, Beech
- Carl Malmsten "Visingsö" Mid Century Pine Stool Produced in Sweden, 1940sBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Stockholm, SEA rare mid century four legged "Visingsö" pine stool model by Carl Malmsten and produced by AB Karl Andersson & Sönder Sweden in the 1940s. In good original condition. Original manuf...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsPine
- Swedish Curved Sofa Canapé in Stained Pine Produced in Sweden Early 1900sLocated in Stockholm, SERare and early antique Swedish pine bench canapé / sofa produced in Sweden early 1920s with a nice curved free form backrest. Original condition. Hidden storage underneath the seatin...Category
Vintage 1920s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsPine
- Hans-Agne Jakobsson Mid Century Floor Lamp Model "G-23" Produced in Sweden 1950sBy Hans-Agne JakobssonLocated in Stockholm, SEVery rare mid century "G-23" floor lamp in black lacquered metal and original fabric shade designed and produced by Hans-Agne Jakobsson, Markaryd, 1950s. Good original condition and ...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Danish Three Seater Mid Century Sofa in Pine & Wool Produced in Denmark, 1960sLocated in Stockholm, SERare mid century three seater pine sofa in style of Kaare Klint produced in Denmark, 1960s. In great condition newly upholstered in light green wool fabric. Dimensions: H: 89 cm / ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool, Pine
- Arne Norell Mid Century Asymmetrical Armchair in Velvet Produced in Sweden 1950sBy Arne NorellLocated in Stockholm, SEVery rare mid century asymmetrical free form armchair by Arne Norell in stained birch and newly upholstered brown velvet. Produced in Sweden and in great condition completely restore...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Birch
- 1950s Swedish Velvet Samspel Sofa by Carl MalmstenBy Carl MalmstenLocated in London, GBCarl Malmsten 'Samspel' Sofa, circa 1950s First designed in 1956 and produced by AB Record in Bollnas, Sweden, the 'Samspel' sofa is one of the finest pieces to be drawn by Sweden...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool, Cotton, Beech
- Carl Malmsten 1950s Sofa in Boucle FabricBy Carl MalmstenLocated in London, GBCarl Malmsten - Sofa, c1950s. Small sofa designed in the 1950s by Swedish master-designer Carl Malmsten and produced by his own company in Sweden. The sofa has been restored and r...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Loveseats
MaterialsBouclé, Elm
- Carl Malmsten "Samspel" Sofa for Ab Record, Sweden 1950sBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Utrecht, NLThis model “Samspel” sofa was first introduced at the exhibition at Röhsska Museet (the Swedish Museum of Design and Crafts) in Gothenburg in 1956. The model’s name means ‘interactio...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool, Wood
- Carl Malmsten "Ulla" Three-Seater Birch Sofa, Sweden, 1950sBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Utrecht, NLCarl Malmsten wanted to express a feeling or a characteristic with his designs. Thanks to its generous format and enveloping shapes, Carl Malmsten's upholstered pieces offer seating ...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Birch
- 1950s Boucle Sofa by Carl MalmstenBy Carl MalmstenLocated in London, GBCarl Malmsten Carl Malmsten Small Sofa, c1940s This exceptional piece of Swedish furniture was designed in the 1940s by master cabinetmaker & designer Carl Malmsten. It was pro...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsBouclé, Beech
- Carl Malmsten 1950s Cirkus Sofa in Boucle FabricBy Carl MalmstenLocated in London, GBCarl Malmsten - Cirkus Sofa, c1950s Model 'Cirkus' love-seat sofa, designed in the 1950s by Swedish Master designer Carl Malmsten and produced by OH Sjögren in Tranås, Sweden. The sofa has restored and re-finsiehd stained elm wood legs and has been reupholstered in off-white boucle fabric. H 80cm / D 80cm / W 151cm / SH 41cm.Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Loveseats
MaterialsBouclé, Elm