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Bruno Mathsson was a Swedish designer who was born in Varnamo in 1907 into a woodworking tradition. His father a well known cabinetmaker and furniture maker was well known as well as having four generations of Mathsson wood workers before him. The things he learned growing up were the feel and nature of wood, the tradition of excellence, and the technical skills that are essential when making furniture.

Mathsson was fascinated with the technical issues in furniture design and began reading everything he could obtain, borrowing books from museums and design centers and making contacts that would prove to be lifelong mentors and associates. Largely self-educated in the technical issues and design styles, he became fascinated with functionalism. One of his functionalist designs for a chair eventually gained him a scholarship.

Mathsson wasn't content with building only the flat board furniture his family traditionally crafted. His furniture was designed with clean, elegant lines including some chairs with positional adjustments. Some of the chairs he worked on didn't have springs or upholstery. His ideas were revolutionary for his time. Therefore, he put some of his early items into storage until he had become famous in the furniture-making world.

Mathsson was so anxious about the thing he calls the "mechanics of sitting" that he conducted trials to determine the precise blueprint which was created by a person while reclining, even dropping in the snow to look at the result! By 1937, he had attained a Grand Prix design honor at an Expo in Paris. At that time, a few of his lost chairs began to be viewed by the public again.

The Pernilla chair is one of his classic designs. It comes in both easy chair and lounge chair formats that use bentwood and lamination techniques in part of the design and can be made with either webbing or upholstery. Due to shortages of material during the war, Mathsson used jute, hemp, or anything else he could find. This design can be adapted to almost any wood or material. Pernilla chairs usually come with an attached pillow as well.

A historical Bruno Mathsson design that captures a contemporary feel is the modular Fällbord table. It is a well known Bruno Mathsson creation that came about in 1935 and can be configured in multiple different ways. His designs have held their popularity well into the 21st century by providing everlasting appeal. This appeal has proved consistent through his Jetson, Miranda, Eva and Pernilla chair designs as well.

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.

Swedish designer Bruno Mathsson was born in Varnamo in 1907 into a woodworking tradition. He wanted to learn everything he could about the technical issues and design styles he worked with. Since he wasn't satisfied with the limitations imposed by flat board furniture (mobler), Mathsson branched out to chairs without springs and heavy upholstery. The Pernilla chair is one of his classic designs. It comes in both easy chair and lounge chair formats. Another historical piece that captures a contemporary feel is the modular Fällbord table. His designs have held their popularity well into the 21st century.