Bruno Mathsson Fällbord Table - Designed For Versatile Beauty
Bruno Mathsson is most well known for his chairs and for his architectural designs such as his incredibly well insulated and beautiful glass houses, but he made other fine home furnishings (inredning) including computer desks, daybeds and tables. One of the most versatile and well known is the Bruno Mathsson Fällbord table, a design that is elegant and beautiful but extremely practical as well.
Mathsson was indoctrinated into the family business virtually from the day he was born. Given that this operation had run for generation after generation, this is not surprising. He learned about the shop and the tools growing up. He knew all aspects of furniture (möbler) making, including actual experience completing pieces before he reached his twentieth birthday.
To get more skills and knowledge, especially in the engineering and technical aspects, not readily available in his small town of Varnamo, Mathsson sent away for books and consulted experts. Not only did he gain the knowledge and skills, he also created a network of mentors who helped him later on. His formal education was supported in part by design awards he earned for his furniture .
Although he created a lot of different furniture types, all of it was carefully made to be comfortable and beautiful. In addition, he recognized that people like flexibility and like furniture pieces that can be rearranged and used in innovative ways. His modular style adapts easily to different spaces and moods and increases its appeal.
The Bruno Mathsson Fällbord table is an extremely handy piece of furniture. The word “fällbord” means “folding table” in Swedish, but the Mathsson is much more than that. First manufactured in 1935, its supporting trestles were originally made of birch. The table top had either a white laminate surface, or it came in different wood finishes, such as oak, beech, cherry, or ash.
When fully-extended the Mathsson table expands to a length of 280 cm. When the table is collapsed, it fits into a tiny 23 cm bundle. With the use of table leaves, the table could be used as a small writing table for one or expanded into a banquet table and everything in between. If you’re used to doing measurement using inches, the above table range is from 9 inches to around 110 1/4 inches.
It would seem that the Bruno Mathsson Fällbord table was inspired by the collapsible tables one sees in rural houses in Sweden, permitting flexible usage where there is not much room. However, the elegant simplicity of Mathsson’s renderings and craftsmanship turned their style into one uniquely his own. While he changed in the 1960’s and used metals and up-to-date man-made materials from that point, it is generally felt that his high point was reached with the creation of those furnishings, such as the Fällbord, which he crafted in wood.
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Bruno Mathsson is most well known for his chairs and for his architectural designs such as his incredibly well insulated and beautiful glass houses, but he made other fine home furnishings including computer desks, daybeds and tables. One of the most versatile and well known is the fällbord table, a design that is elegant and beautiful but extremely practical as well. All of Mathsson’s different furniture (annorlunda möbler) styles were designed to provide the utmost in comfort and beauty. In the 1960s Mathsson began using more modern materials in his furniture designs, such as metal tubing and synthetics.
- Richard Guilfoyle