Bruno Mathsson lounge chair

This reclining lounge chair was designed by Bruno Mathsson and produced in 1944 by Firma Karl Mathsson in Värnamo, Sweden. Its elongated, wave-like profile follows the contours of the reclining body, combining a low seat, inclined backrest and elevated leg support within a continuous ergonomic structure.

The frame is constructed from bent laminated beech with a warm honey-brown tone. Wide beige woven webbing forms the flexible supporting surface, complemented by an ivory-colored fabric head cushion. Curved armrests, sculptural laminated supports and wooden rear wheels give the chair a technically expressive yet visually light construction.

A later reading table from 1972 accompanies the chair. It consists of a pale blond wooden panel with a lower retaining ledge, mounted on a chromed tubular-steel support with brass adjustment fittings. The mechanism permits changes to the position and angle of the reading surface. The chair and reading table retain visible manufacturer and designer markings.

Bruno Mathsson was a central figure in twentieth-century Swedish furniture design and an important representative of Scandinavian modernism. His work developed from extensive studies of sitting and reclining positions, resulting in furniture characterized by bent wood, tensioned webbing and body-responsive forms. Firma Karl Mathsson, established from the Mathsson family workshop in Värnamo, manufactured his designs with an emphasis on laminated-wood construction and specialized upholstery techniques.

The chair belongs to the Swedish functionalist and organic-modern tradition. Its curving beech structure and woven suspension system express the relationship between anatomy, material flexibility and serial craftsmanship that defined Mathsson’s work during the 1930s and 1940s.

Dimensions are 170 × 63 × 90 cm, corresponding to approximately 66.9 × 24.8 × 35.4 inches. Seat height is 30 cm, or approximately 11.8 inches.

The chair is in good vintage condition with signs of use and an established patina. The beech, webbing and metal fittings display age-related surface wear and tonal variation consistent with the chair’s history. The reading table likewise shows minor wear associated with use.