Console table by Carl Malmsten
View Similar Items
Console table by Carl Malmsten
About the Item
- Creator:Carl Malmsten (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 53.75 in (136.53 cm)Depth: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930'2
- Condition:Excellent restored.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: U1208057860345
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.
- Rare Single Lounge Chair by Carl Malmsten, Sweden, 1950sBy Carl MalmstenLocated in New York, NYBeautiful single sculptural lounge chair by Swedish master Carl Malmsten. Carl Malmsten (1888-1972). Carl Malmsten Studio. Sweden, circa 1950. New Upholstery. Measures: 37.5” H x 27...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
Price Upon Request - Rare High Back Chair with Pillow by Carl Malmsten, circa 1940By Carl MalmstenLocated in New York, NYRare and comfortable high back chair with pillow attached by leather straps. New Upholstery and mahogany excellent condition. Carl Malmsten (Swedish 1888-1972) High back chair w...Category
Vintage 1940s Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Mahogany
Price Upon Request - 1940's Finnish Dining/Console Table in OakLocated in New York, NYAn elegant long oval dining/console table on curved pedestal legs by 1940's Finnish cabinetmaker.Category
20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Console Tables
MaterialsOak
- Dining Table by Kurt Östervig for Jason Möbler, Denmark, 1950sBy Kurt ØstervigLocated in New York, NYExquisite oval drop-leaf dining table designed by Kurt Östervig for Jason Möbler, Denmark, 1950s. Dramatic V-shaped mahogany gatelegs an...Category
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMahogany, Rosewood
Price Upon Request - 1930's Swedish Oval Pedestal TableLocated in New York, NYA 1930's Swedish Deco occasional table with oval top in bookmatched birch veneer and faceted pedestal base with feet, contrasting in Macassar ebony.Category
20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Gueridon
MaterialsBirch
- Axel Einar Hjorth Occasional Table for Nordiska Kompaniet, circa 1930By Axel Einar HjorthLocated in New York, NYPine occasional table for Nordiska Kompaniet designed by Axel Einar Hjorth, circa 1930 Measures: 24" height x 31.5" diameter.Category
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Side Tables
MaterialsPine
Price Upon Request
- Console Table "Sportstugemöbel" by Carl Malmsten, Sweden, 1950sBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Hägersten, SEConsole or dining table designed by Carl Malmsten in 1953 model "Visingsö", This early example from the Beginning of the 1950s without the added screws on the short ends and visible ...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Console Tables
MaterialsPine
- Side Table by Carl MalmstenBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Dronten, NLElegant bone white lacquered mahogany side table, designed by Carl Malmsten for Möbel Komponerad AV. Marked with bronze medallion. Carl Malmsten (December 7, 1888 – August 13, 1972...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBeech
$1,750 - Table with wings by Carl MalmstenBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Brescia, ITOriginal vintage folding table. An iconic piece of furniture still found in many homes in Scandinavia. Simple and functional, it can be opened on o...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood, Teak
- Vintage Coffee-Table by Carl MalmstenBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Brescia, ITScandinavian oval coffee-table made of birch wood. Elegant vintage wooden sofa table designed by Swedish designer Carl Malmsten in the 1960s. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBirch
- Dining Table by Carl Malmsten, 1950By Carl MalmstenLocated in Los Angeles, CAwonderful dining table in beech with veneered top, by Carl Malmsten for Waggeryds Möbelfabrik AB, Sweden, 1950, in its smallest configuration the table is round with 45.66 inch diame...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsBeech
- "Guldheden" Bedside Table by Carl Malmsten, 1960sBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Stockholm, SEElegant bedside table in pine, designed by Carl Malmsten, Sweden, 1960s. Very good condition with small signs of usage and patina.Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Ta...
MaterialsPine
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
New York Design Trailblazer Hostler Burrows Sets Up Shop in Los Angeles
Kim Hostler and Juliet Burrows head west with their unique assortment of Scandinavian modernism, contemporary ceramic art and 21st-century design.
10 Covetable Things You’ll Find at Design Miami
Get a sneak peak at some of the singular pieces that will be on display at this year's show, which range from vintage masterpieces by legendary makers to innovative creations from emerging talents.