Carl Malmsten, sofa, "Samspel" second half of the 20th century.
Newly upholstered in sheepskin, seat height 42 cm, approximately 156x72x83 cm.
Newly upholstered in sheepskin with new padding in the seat and back, including new webbing and springs.
The model, which was likely designed in 1955, was exhibited at the Röhsska Museum in 1956. Samspel was initially produced by Record in Bollnäs and later by OH Sjögren in Tranås. The model has not been in production for many years.
Carl Malmsten is one of Sweden's most famous furniture designers. Many of his furniture are considered modern design classics, for example, the cane chair "Lilla Åland", the armchair "Farmor", the sofa "Samsas", the cabinet "Herrgården", and the furniture series "Vardag".
Both "Lilla Åland" and "Vardag" adopted the ideals of "beautiful everyday goods" of the 1940s. Their neat shape and frugal design quickly became timeless interior details that we still see in many homes today.
At the beginning of his career, Malmsten interned at various carpentry workshops and studied furniture at Nordiska museet and Skansen. He had his breakthrough in 1916 when he was commissioned to design part of the interior of Stockholm's City Hall.
During his career, Malmsten collaborated with several architects, such as Ragnar Östberg, Ivar Tengbom, and Ferdinand Boberg. He designed furniture for Stockholm's concert hall and Ulriksdal castle. He participated in the now iconic hosing exhibition at Liljevalchs gallery in 1917, where the term "Beautiful everyday goods" was coined.