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Bruno Mathsson

With his exceptional designs and a focus on comfort and quality, Bruno Mathsson has created furniture classics that are enjoyed by generations. No one has made a larger impact on modern Swedish furniture design than Mathsson.

Comfortable seating is an art, but it shouldn’t be. Making furniture to sit on should be produced with such fine art that sitting in them doesn’t need to be an art.

Bruno Mathsson

The Bruno Mathsson story

IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE where Swedish design would be today without architect and designer Bruno Mathsson. Considered by many to be one of greatest furniture designers of the 20th century, Mathsson helped usher in Swedish Modern style and influenced generations of designers with his emphasis on comfort and quality. Born in the town of Värnamo in 1907, it was clear early in his life that he was going to follow his own destiny. He was a keep-fit enthusiast and winter bather who spent much of the year sleeping outdoors in a specially constructed bed. To cope with the cold he wore a flying hat that he lined with balloon silk. His love of nature directly influenced his designs. He liked to use natural materials including linen, leather and wood. You won’t find many right angles in Mathsson’s designs. Instead, his organic creations were carefully shaped to fit the human body. To produce the perfect curve for a chair, for instance, he sat in a snowdrift and studied the shape left by his body.

THE INTERACTION between his furnishings and the people who use them remained important throughout his career. Mathsson and Eric Ljung of DUX met in the 1950s and become friends. Mathsson and DUX embarked upon a close creative partnership in the 1960s and 1970s. Mathsson devoted a lot of his time to research and development. He called it “the mechanism of sitting.” This resulted in furniture created with an uncompromising dedication to form and function. At DUX we’ve had the honour of producing our Jetson, Pernilla, Karin and Ingrid chairs since 1969. Today they are known throughout the world for their exceptional elegance and comfort. “Furnishings have to be produced with such skill that sitting in them involves no skill at all,” declared Bruno Mathsson. Adhering to this statement resulted in a range of iconic furnishings that will be loved for generations.

1907
Bruno Mathsson is born in Värnamo.

1930
Mathsson presents a baroque chair at an exhibition in Värnamo and is awarded a grant. He spends the money travelling to Stockholm where he gathers inspiration.

1937
Mathsson makes his international debut in the Swedish pavilion at the Paris Expo. The term Swedish Modern is coined.

1944
Mathsson designs the Pernilla chair, named after journalist Pernilla Tunberger.

1948–49
Mathsson and his wife Karin travel to the US where they meet the Charles and Ray Eames, Hans and Florence Knoll, Marcel Breuer and Frank Lloyd Wright.

1966
The Jetson chair is produced, a unique design with a suspended seat.

1969
The Karin chair is launched and is an immediate success.

1984
The Bruno Mathsson Award is established

DUX furnitures designed by Bruno Mathsson

Other DUX designers