Carl Malmsten (December 7, 1888 – August 13, 1972) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

furniture designer,

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, and educator who was known for his devotion to traditional Swedish

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pro ...

manship (''slöjd'') and his opposition to functionalism. He "considered the rationalization of the home according to functionalist principles a debasement of its traditional role as an intimate place for gathering and repose".

Biography

Malmsten was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the son of Karl Malmsten and Inez Cadier. Malmsten's career took off when he won a competition in 1916 to design furniture for the Stockholm City Hall (''stadshus''); in 1917, he exhibited alongside well-known Swedish architects such as Gunnar Asplund and

Uno Åhrén Uno Åhrén (6 August 1897 – 8 October 1977) was a Swedish architect and city planner, and a leading proponent of functionalism in Sweden. Biography Uno Emrik Åhrén was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He graduated as an architect at the KTH R ...

. Malmsten founded an eponymous furniture store on the riverfront of Stockholm. The store is currently run by his grandson. In the 1920s he was invited to furnish a room for the crown prince, Gustaf VI Adolf, and his wife

Louise Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...

Ulriksdal Palace Ulriksdal Palace ( sv, Ulriksdals slott) is a royal palace situated on the banks of the Edsviken in the Royal National City Park in Solna Municipality, 6 km north of Stockholm. It was originally called ''Jakobsdal'' for its owner Jacob De ...

. He was honoured with an inaugural

Prince Eugen Medal The Prince Eugen Medal ( sv, Prins Eugen-medaljen) is a medal conferred by the King of Sweden for "outstanding artistic achievement". The medal was established in 1945 by the then King of Sweden, Gustaf V, in connection with the eightieth birthd ...

for design in 1945.

Legacy

Malmsten has had a lasting influence on Swedish furniture design through the two schools he founded—the Carl Malmsten Furniture Studies (''Carl Malmstensskolan''), which has been a part of

Linköping University Linköping University (, LiU) is a public research university based in Linköping, Sweden. Originally established in 1969, it was granted full university status in 1975 and is one of Sweden's largest academic institutions. The university has fou ...

since 2000, is situated on the island of

Lidingö Lidingö, also known in its definite form ''Lidingön'' and as ''Lidingölandet'', is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2010, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 31,561. It is ...

on the outskirts of Stockholm. The school had been situated in the city centre until 2009. Malmsten's second school, ''Capellagården'', is located on the island of

Öland Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Øland'' in other Scandinavian languages, and often ''Oland'' internationally; la, Oelandia) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area ...

in Vickleby. It offers courses in

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

craft and design,

cabinet making A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (so ...

furniture design Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...

, interior carpentry,

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

s, and

organic horticulture Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety preserva ...

Personal life

In 1917, he was married to Siv Munthe (1894-1972). Together with his wife, he founded the Siv and Carl Malmsten Memorial Foundation (''Stiftelsen Siv och Carl Malmstens Minne''). The Foundation owns the intellectual property rights from Carl Malmsten. Malmsten was the paternal grandfather of author

Bodil Malmsten Bodil Malmsten (19 August 1944 – 5 February 2016) was a Swedish poet and novelist. Malmsten was born in Bjärme, Östersund Municipality. Due to her parents' early separation, she grew up at her maternal grandparents and at foster care in Vä ...

(1944–2016).

References

External links

Carl Malmsten Furniture Studies websiteCapellagården website
1888 births 1972 deaths Swedish furniture designers Recipients of the Prince Eugen Medal Litteris et Artibus recipients Swedish architects {{Sweden-architect-stub

Biography

Legacy

Personal life

See also

References

External links