Carl Malmsten
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A Swedish Grace freestanding desk, Nordiska Kompaniet, Nyköping, Sweden ca 1929.
Mahogany, palisander and other woods. Length 164,5 cm, width 84,5 cm, height 76,5 cm.
Some minor wear and small veneer damages.
Provenance
Gift from Carl Malmsten to Ivar Tengbom in appreciation of the assignment with the interior of Tändstickspalatset, Stockholm in 1929, thence in descent.
Literature
Ivar Tengbom, Svenska Tändsticksaktiebolagets huvudkontor, 'Den nya byggnaden', Stockholm 1931, compare the model illustrated from the CEO:s office.
More information
'Tändstickspalatset' at Västra Trädgårdsgatan 15 in Stockholm, was ordered by Ivar Kreuger as headquarters for Tändsticksaktiebolaget. The building that was designed by architect Ivar Tengbom was erected in 1926-28. The assignment with the interior went to Carl Malmsten and Elsa Gullberg.
Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory, tortoiseshell and palisander. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.
Designer
Carl Malmsten is one of Sweden's most famous furniture designers. Many of his furniture are considered modern design classics, for example, the cane chair "Lilla Åland", the armchair "Farmor", the sofa "Samsas", the cabinet "Herrgården", and the furniture series "Vardag".
Both "Lilla Åland" and "Vardag" adopted the ideals of "beautiful everyday goods" of the 1940s. Their neat shape and frugal design quickly became timeless interior details that we still see in many homes today.
At the beginning of his career, Malmsten interned at various carpentry workshops and studied furniture at Nordiska museet and Skansen. He had his breakthrough in 1916 when he was commissioned to design part of the interior of Stockholm's City Hall.
During his career, Malmsten collaborated with several architects, such as Ragnar Östberg, Ivar Tengbom, and Ferdinand Boberg. He designed furniture for Stockholm's concert hall and Ulriksdal castle. He participated in the now iconic hosing exhibition at Liljevalchs gallery in 1917, where the term "Beautiful everyday goods" was coined.