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Swedish designer Bruno Mathsson was born in Varnamo in 1907 into a woodworking tradition. His father was a well known cabinetmaker producing well crafted wood furniture as had the four generations of Mathsson's before him. He grew up learning the technical skills to make furniture, the feel and nature of wood and the tradition of excellence.

Furniture designer Mathsson wanted to learn everything he could about the technical issues and design styles he worked with. He taught himself by reading books from museums and design centers and networking with other designers. Functionalism was a design style that Bruno was very interested in. He actually won a scholarship for one of his functionalist chair designs.

Feeling that traditional flat board furniture had too many limitations, Mathsson decided to try designing chairs with no springs at all and with light upholstery. He wanted the chairs to have clean, elegant lines and to be able to change positions. This was actually so controversial an idea at the time that some of his designs were hidden away until he became a well-known and respected designer.

Mathsson was worried about the "mechanics of sitting". He did tests to see what kind of pattern a human being made when sitting. He even sat in the snow to see what effect it would have. Mathsson won the Grand Prix design award in 1937 at the Paris Expo. Bruno was finally able to get his once hidden chairs out for the world to see once he obtained some recognition.

One of his classic designs is the Bruno Mathsson Pernilla chair. It's made in various formats with bentwood, incorporating lamination into the design itself. It can be made with webbing or upholstered. During the war, material shortages forced Mathsson to experiment with alternate fibers like jute and hemp, and thus this design can easily be adapted to other materials. These chairs traditionally include an attached pillow.

Another famous Bruno Mathsson design was the Bruno Mathsson Fällbord table, a modular table that can be folded and reconfigured in many different arrangements. It was designed in 1935 and remains a modern looking piece of furniture to this day. This timelessness is a common thread running through many of his designs including his highly sought after Bruno Mathsson Jetson, Miranda, Bruno Mathsson Eva and Pernilla chair designs.

One more table (Bruno Mathsson bord) that deserves a mention here is the superellips. It comes in many different models and as with much of his furniture (Mathsson mobler) are still highly sought after and continue to increase in value. Mathsson passed away in 1988 after a long illness, passing a legacy of modern furniture design down to his family.