Bruno Mathsson: Six Generations Of Furniture Excellence

Bruno Mathsson was descended from five generations of the production of top-quality wood furniture. Bruno was born in Varnamo, Sweden in 1907, and the love of fine wood-crafting was in his blood. Under his father's tutelage he learned technical furniture-making skills, the textures and capabilities of a variety of woods, and the importance of always striving for excellence.

Matsson was fascinated with the technical issues in furniture design and began reading everything he could obtain, borrowing books from museums and design centers and making contacts that would prove to be lifelong mentors and associates. Largely self-educated in the technical issues and design styles, he became fascinated with functionalism. One of his functionalist designs for a chair eventually gained him a scholarship.

Feeling that traditional flat board furniture had too many limitations, Matsson decided to try designing chairs with no springs at all and with light upholstery. He wanted the chairs to have clean, elegant lines and to be able to change positions. This was actually so controversial an idea at the time that some of his designs were hidden away until he became a well-known and respected designer.

Mathsson was so concerned with what he referred to as the "mechanics of sitting" that he performed experiments to see what pattern was made by a human being while sitting, even plopping into snow to examine the result! By 1937, he had achieved a Grand Prix design award at the Paris Expo. By then, some of his once hidden chairs were being shown to the world again.

One of his most memorable creations is the Pernilla chair. It is built in easy chair or lounge chair styles in addition to bentwood and laminating methods used for a portion of the plan. It's possible to upholster or make with webbing. In the time of war when materials were scarce, Mathsson conducted tests with jute as well as hemp or whatever else he was able to find, and this motif may be used with almost any organic or inorganic objects. Pernilla chairs usually have a pillow that is connected.

Another of Mathsson's famous designs is the Fällbord table, which was a modular table design allowing folding and reconfiguration in many different layouts. Designed in 1935, it remains to this day a strikingly modern piece of furniture. Its timelessness is similar to many of his other works, which are highly sought after even today.

Yet another piece of Mathsson furniture (Mathsson möbler) that MUST be mentioned here is another of his tables. The Mathsson superellips is also considered a classic and it seems like it will increase in value for many years to come. Mathsson passed away in 1988 leaving an amazing legacy of family heritage made great by his insight.

Swedish designer Bruno Mathsson was born in Varnamo in 1907 into a woodworking tradition. He grew up learning the technical skills to make classic designer furniture (design möbler), the feel and nature of wood and the tradition of excellence. He taught himself by reading books from museums and design centers and networking with other designers. Functionalism was a design style that Bruno was very interested in. The bruno mathsson pernilla chair is one of his classic designs. A historical piece that captures a contemporary feel is his modular fällbord table. Mathsson passed away in 1988 leaving an amazing legacy of family heritage made great by his insight.