Bruno Mathsson – Swedish furniture designer and architect

Bruno Mathsson 1907 - 1988

Bruno Mathsson was born in Värnamo, Sweden in 1907 as the son of a carpenter, and learned the craft from his father from scratch. Mathsson lived and worked in Värnamo for most of his life and became one of Sweden’s most acclaimed furniture designers.

The first chair designed by Mathsson was the Gräshoppan model. The chair had a solid wooden frame and a seat made of webbing and was designed in 1931 to order by the Värnamo hospital. However, the chairs weren’t appreciated by staff or patients and were stowed away in the attic of the hospital. Despite the criticism, Mathsson didn’t give up and continued to explore the mechanics of sitting both practically and theoretically. In 1936 Mathsson was given the opportunity to exhibit his works in a separate exhibition at the Röhsska Museum of Design and Craft. The exhibition was a breakthrough and Mathsson was invited to take part in the world exhibition in Paris later that year.

Bruno Mathsson's performance resulted in hectic years for the small family business, which sold most of its production for export. The outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 put an end to expansion and the designer had to focus on the domestic market. Mathsson continued to develop his products and also began to design practical and functional dining tables. During this time he developed the classic recliner Pernilla 2 and the recliner Pernilla 3, named after the journalist Pernilla Tunberger after an interview with Bruno Mathsson in 1943.

After the end of the war, the designer also managed to charm the Swedes with his designs, including his practical and practical dining tables. The Superellips table, which he designed together with Danish designers Arne Jacobsen and Piet Hein, made him famous. The table would later be produced by Fritz Hansen. The Eva and Jetson chairs have also become design icons and are now big sellers, both in Sweden and on the international design scene.

In addition to chairs, chairs and tables, Bruno Mathsson has also designed many glass houses in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal. Among others, Villa Prenker in King's Landing. Several of these houses have a patented window system, Bruno Pane, which allows for large open areas. Bruno Mathsson's own summer house in Frösakull in Halmstad, built in 1960, has been a listed building since 2007.

Bruno Mathsson 1907 - 1988