Articles

When it comes to interior design (inredning), nearly everyone has heard of the Swedish and Scandinavian schools and the pervasive style called Swedish Modern, or sometimes Swedish modernism. One of its leading names was that of the late Bruno Mathsson. He was born in 1907 into a family of woodworkers in Varnamo, Sweden, and lived until 1988.

Though Mathsson was a student of the craft tradition of his country, he exceeded that as he used shapes and styles that were a reflection of living things, from insects to humans. He wanted his designs to be very practical and comfortable, but his real genius came in making designs that could be both practical and also amazing for their beauty.

Although he made many other types of furniture, he is best known for his chairs and for the practical style of architecture in the last half of his career. Regarding his chairs, he is perhaps most famous for the Pernilla, the Miranda, and the Eva chairs. Almost all of his chair designs have a female name attached to them. This is natural as the curves of the chairs are inspired by the female figure.

His first major chair design, the 'grasshopper', was a failure when it first appeared in 1931, but later became highly sought after. The Eva was first produced in 1934, and gained a much quicker general acceptance by the public, as well as universal praise from furniture (möbler) critics. It comes in both a high and low backed version, the high back is less typical of his arm chair designs.

The Eva chair makes use of the usual Mathsson lines and curves while also making use of webbed upholstery. The originals of these chairs were most likely made out of beech, but many other types of woods were used, while the webbing material could be made from anything. The chairs made during wartime were made from scrounged material such as paper and hemp.

The Eva chair is still manufactured today as a true classic. Both old and new models still carry hefty price tags, but nearly anyone who's purchased one thinks it's worth the price. The upholstery can be customized with any color scheme desired, and the number of types of wood available is more than generous. Mathsson made chairs until his death in 1988, and over the years continued to make simple but attractive pieces, innovated to suit each age.

Bruno Mathsson was a Swedish man who designed furniture (möbler) that was different from typical pieces of furniture because of its curves. He impacted the interior design industry by creating furniture that was both practical and comfortable. Although he made many different kinds of furniture, he was most famous for producing chairs. One of his chairs, named the Eva, came onto the market in 1934. This particular chair was widely accepted among the public and furniture critics alike. It is still being produced today, with customizable color schemes and wood choices.