Carl Malmsten
Carl Malmsten, armchair with footstool, "The Giant Toad", O. H. Sjögren, Tranås, 2015
Textile upholstery with button-tufted back, loose seat cushions, anthracite wool upholstery, black-stained beech legs, label marked. The chair's seat height is 48 cm, width 88 cm, height 96 cm. The footstool's height is 41 cm, width 72 cm, depth 50 cm.
Somewhat faded. Minor wear.
Suunnittelijat
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.