Eva: A Chair Still Manufactured Today As A True Classic
When thinking of interior design (inredning), most people immediately think of Swedish and Scandinavian schools and their pervasive influence through the Swedish Modern style. One of the leading names of these schools is the late Bruno Mathsson, who was born in 1907 in Varnamo, Sweden, to a family of woodworkers. He 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 has the well-known Mathsson clean lines and curves, with a webbed type of upholstery. The original chairs were most likely beech, but many woods have been used over time, and the webbing can be made from nearly anything. Those constructed during the war were made from whatever types of material could be found, ranging from paper products to hemp.
The Eva chair is still being manufactured as a true classic, and both old and new models still command hefty price tags, but nearly anyone who has one thinks it is worth it. The upholstery can be customized to any color scheme or situation, and the choice of woods is quite generous. Mathsson made chairs until the end of his life in 1988, and continued to make simple but attractive chairs, adding innovations to suit the age.
When thinking of interior design (inredning), most people immediately think of Swedish and Scandinavian schools and their pervasive influence through the Swedish Modern style. One of the leading names of these schools is the late Bruno Mathsson, who was born in 1907 in Varnamo, Sweden, to a family of woodworkers. 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.
- Richard Guilfoyle