Carl Malmsten Pine Sofa Bed and “Visingsö” Armchairs, Sweden 1940s
View Similar Items
Carl Malmsten Pine Sofa Bed and “Visingsö” Armchairs, Sweden 1940s
About the Item
- Creator:Carl Malmsten (Designer),O.H. Sjögren (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.93 in (76 cm)Width: 79.93 in (203 cm)Depth: 29.53 in (75 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 3
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. Small scratches and marks on the wood. The pieces of this set have been reupholstered recently in light bouclé fabric.
- Seller Location:Utrecht, NL
- Reference Number:Seller: 20210551+202105521stDibs: LU2947324514572
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.
O.H. Sjögren
From its humble beginnings as a saddlery more than 100 years ago, O.H. Sjögren has grown into one of Sweden’s largest upholstered furniture manufacturers and a leading contributor to Scandinavian modern style in the 20th and 21st centuries.
O.H. Sjögren was founded in 1902 by Oskar Herbert Sjögren, then a 25-year-old saddlemaker and journeyman, who took over a saddlery in Tranås, Sweden. By 1914, at the onset of World War I, Sjögren’s business had grown as supplies such as pack saddles and life belts were in high demand for Sweden’s military. In 1917, with the war in Europe still ongoing, O.H. Sjögren began a collaboration with the neighboring company Tranås Vagnfabrik to upholster seats for horse-drawn carriages. However, with the carriage market in decline by the 1930s, O.H. Sjögren shifted its operations to furniture upholstery.
From 1936 to 1973, O.H. Sjögren was helmed by Oskar’s sons, Ollie and Gustaf, who were determined to produce impeccable Scandinavian furniture. The manufacturer soon gained its largest and most important client, NK (Nordiska Kompaniet) in Stockholm, followed by renowned Swedish designer Carl Malmsten in 1956.
Malmsten’s partnership with O.H. Sjögren throughout the 1950s and 1960s was a great success. Together, the designer and manufacturer produced a wide variety of mid-century modern seating, such as the plush, classic Samsas sofa, the Lata Greven (Lazy Countess) lounge chair and the popular Farmor armchair.
In 1973, Ollie’s son Erik became head of O.H. Sjögren and attracted several major design brands, including Svenskt Tenn. Although the Swedish furniture industry was threatened by cheaper, imported, mass-produced furniture from elsewhere in Europe and Asia during the 1980s and 1990s, O.H. Sjögren endured in its success due to its reputation for high quality and formidable designs.
Since 2005, O.H. Sjögren has been run by its fourth generation from the Sjögren family — Oskar’s great-grandsons Håkan and Jakob. The company continues to produce many of Malmsten’s most popular seating, as well as Svenskt Tenn’s classic designs.
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage O.H. Sjögren seating.
- Carl Malmsten Oak "Visingsö" Sofa for O.H. Sjögren, Sweden, 1960sBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Utrecht, NLThe famous “Visingsö” series demonstrates Carl Malmsten’s fine sense of proportion, line tension and balance between the surfaces, and how skilfully he carried in the heritage of tra...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsBouclé, Oak
- Carl Malmsten "Samsas" Sofa for O.H. Sjögren, Sweden 1960sBy Carl Malmsten, O.H. SjögrenLocated in Utrecht, NL“Samsas” is for many the most associated series with Carl Malmsten. The designer devoted his life to the renewal of traditional Swedish craftsmanship, inspired by Swedish country man...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Carl Malmsten "Samspel" Armchairs for O. H. Sjögren, Sweden, 1950sBy Carl Malmsten, O.H. SjögrenLocated in Utrecht, NLThe stylish midcentury curves that define Carl Malmsten’s aesthetic are just as recognizable today as they were 70 years ago. The Swedish designer devoted his life to the renewal of ...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Carl Malmsten Upholstered Armchairs for O.H. Sjögren, Sweden, 1960sBy Carl Malmsten, O.H. SjögrenLocated in Utrecht, NLCarl Malmsten devoted his life to the renewal of traditional Swedish craftsmanship, inspired by Swedish country manors and rustic styles. In this spirit, his armchairs are regarded t...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- “Farmor” Armchair by Carl Malmsten for O.H. Sjögren, Sweden, 1956By Carl Malmsten, O.H. SjögrenLocated in Utrecht, NLIn the mid-1950s, Carl Malmsten awarded ten small furniture companies, mainly in Småland, the honour of making a series of some of his products. Among the first pieces was Farmor, wh...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- “Farmor” Armchairs by Carl Malmsten for O.H. Sjögren, Sweden, 1956By Carl Malmsten, O.H. SjögrenLocated in Utrecht, NLIn the mid-1950s, Carl Malmsten awarded ten small furniture companies, mainly in Småland, the honour of making a series of some of his products. Among the first pieces was Farmor, wh...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Carl Malmsten, Sofa, Velvet, Birch, Sweden, 1940sBy Carl MalmstenLocated in High Point, NCA purple velvet and birch sofa, designed and produced by Carl Malmsten, Sweden, c. 1940s.Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet, Birch
- Carl Malmsten 1940s Vintage Boucle SofaBy Carl MalmstenLocated in London, GBThis exceptional piece of Swedish furniture was designed in the 1940s by master cabinetmaker and designer Carl Malmsten. It was produced at his own workshop near Stockholm in Sweden....Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsBouclé, Beech
- Midcentury Carl Malmsten "Samsas" Sofa, Sweden, 1960sBy O.H. Sjögren, Carl MalmstenLocated in Hillringsberg, SEThis midcentury icon sofa was designed by Carl Malmsten and this one was produced by O.H Sjögren. The sofa have a have new fabric and rehopulstred by proffesinol with original Malmst...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- 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 Sofa, 1950's, Carl Malmsten, Samsas, ReupholsteredBy O.H. Sjögren, Carl MalmstenLocated in London, GBAn original 1960s Samsas sofa by renowned Swedish designer Carl Malmsten for OH Sjogren. This sofa has been completely refurbished, reupholstered with new foam and covered in luxurio...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wool, Beech, Birch
- Midcentury Rare Carl Malmsten Velvet "Samsas" Sofa Sweden, 1960sBy Carl Malmsten, O.H. SjögrenLocated in Hillringsberg, SEThis midcentury icon sofa was designed by Carl Malmsten and this one was produced by O.H Sjögren. The sofa has a rare fabric in shifting red/pink velvet. ...Category
Vintage 1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet