As the descendant of four generations of Swedish master cabinetmakers, Bruno Mathsson was born to design furniture. Mathsson was known as a methodical perfectionist who made usefulness the fundamental attribute of his iconic lounge chairs, tables, armchairs and other works, yet he was also a ceaseless experimenter, who constantly searched for improvements in form, materials and methods of design.
Like the Finnish designer Alvar Aalto, Mathsson was one of the first Scandinavians to embrace undulating, biomorphic forms in furniture. His early pieces such as the Eva and Pernilla series of chairs incorporate dramatically flowing bent beechwood frames, making them some of the most instantly recognizable works of 20th-century design.
Mathsson was also a pioneer of ergonomics — he is said to have based the contours of his chairs on the impression his body made when he sat in a snow bank — and used supple, accommodating woven webbing for seats. His concern for practicality is shown by pieces such as the Maria table. An elegant design with gate legs and hinged leaves, the table measures more than nine feet long when fully extended, but folds down to just nine inches in thickness.
From the mid-1940s through the 1950s, Mathsson focused on architecture, designing and building houses with insulated, triple-glazed window walls and heated floors — construction that flew in the face of traditional wood-clad Swedish residential design, and consequently met with some skepticism. He returned to furniture in the 1960s, employing an entirely new suite of materials: Stainless-steel framing and mesh seats feature in pieces like the Jetson chair; with the mathematician Piet Hein, Mathsson designed the Super-Elliptical table, which has a laminate top and four-part tubular steel legs that sprout like flower stems from a single base.
Bruno Mathsson’s stylistic flexibility as a designer made him a creator whose pieces meet all tastes and needs.
Find vintage Bruno Mathsson dining tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Occasional Table ‘Annika’ Designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Occasional table ‘Annika’ designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden, 1976. Birch. Stamped. H: 41.5 cm Diameter: 65 cm
Birch
Occasional Table “Annika” Designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Birch. Measure: H: 50.5 cm / 20’’ D: 84.5 cm / 2’ 9 1/2’’.
Birch
'Annika' Table Designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden, 1936
By Bruno Mathsson, Karl Mathsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Table Annika designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden. 1936. Elm top and birch legs. Measurements: H: 65 cm / 2' 2" D: 95 cm / 3' 1 7/8" This round “Annika” occasional table was manufactured in 1967 and designed in 1936; it is made of birch with a smooth Oregon pine top. Bruno Mathsson created various iterations of his “Annika” model — they come in three shapes with different wood combinations and various heights. They can be round with three legs, square with four legs, or rectangular with six legs, allowing exciting and contrasting combinations when grouped. While the design aesthetic is delicate, the table is very well-made because of the strong plywood. Bruno Mathsson’s love for nature pervades all his designs — he frequently slept outside in the forest or his garden on a specially designed foldable bed. His furniture shapes, particularly the legs, bring bull's horns or insects to mind. Mathsson was one of the most important Swedish designers of the 20th century. He was a contemporary of Alvar Aalto and Marcel Breuer, all of whom had already experimented with bent plywood during the 1930s. Karl Mathsson, Bruno Mathsson's father, was the fifth generation in a family of master cabinet makers. He owned a furniture manufacturing company that produced the earlier pieces; later, they founded "Mathsson International”. The stamp indicates the manufacturing date and, sometimes, the design date. Bruno Mathsson often gave his furniture Swedish woman...
Birch, Elm
Occasional Table Annika Designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Occasional table Annika designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden. 1973. Birch and Karelian birch. Dimensions: H: 42 cm / 1' 4" D: 65 cm / 2' 1''
Birch
Occasional table Annika designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Occasional table Annika designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson, Sweden, 1977. Karelian birch. Measurements: H: 35 cm/ 13 3/4" D: 55 cm/ 21 1/2"
Birch
Occasional table ‘Annika’ designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson Sweden
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Occasional table ‘Annika’ designed by Bruno Mathsson for Karl Mathsson Sweden, 1970 Birch. H: 35 cm / 1' 1 3/4" Dia: 55 cm / 1' 9 5/8"
Birch
Side Table by Bruno Mathsson, Sweden, 1968
By Bruno Mathsson
Located in Karlstad, SE
A refined side table by Bruno Mathsson, designed in 1968, showcasing his signature balance of lightness and structural clarity. The round tabletop in teak veneer rests on elegantly c...
Birch, Teak
1950s Side Table by Bruno Mathsson for Firma Karl Mathsson, Sweden
By Bruno Mathsson, Firma Karl Mathsson
Located in New York, NY
1950s Side table by Bruno Mathsson for Firma Karl Mathsson, Värnamo, Sweden. Designed in 1942 the table have the signature curvy legs that also features in many of Bruno Mathsson des...
Birch
1970s Bruno Mathsson for Firma Karl Mathsson Annika Coffee Table, 37 inches
By Firma Karl Mathsson, Bruno Mathsson
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is an Annika Coffee Table, initially designed by Bruno Mathsson for Firma Karl Mathsson in 1936. This piece dates to the 1970s and was produced in Sweden. The design features gr...
Birch, Teak
Bruno Mathsson, 'Annika' Table, Designed 1936, Beautiful Early Example pre-war
By Bruno Mathsson, Firma Karl Mathsson
Located in London, GB
Bruno Mathsson (designer) Karl Mathsson, Värnamo, Sweden (manufacturer) 'Annika' low table, designed 1936. Curly birch top on laminated birch legs. Stamped to underside 'MADE IN SW...
Birch
Swedish Coffee Table by Bruno Mathsson
By Bruno Mathsson, Firma Karl Mathsson
Located in Karlstad, SE
An elegant and understated table in birch, designed with the lightness and organic simplicity closely associated with Bruno Mathsson’s work. The softly rounded top is paired with sle...
Birch
Swedish Bruno Mathsson Coffee Table Annika, Masur Birch by Karl Mathsson Sweden
By Bruno Mathsson, Karl Mathsson
Located in Silkeborg, Silkeborg
Small round coffee table model Annika designed by the Swedish furniture designer and architect Bruno Mathsson (1907-1988). The table is made of birch with masur birch on the top The...
Birch
