Carl Malmsten
Illustration — Carl Malmsten • Illustration — Malmsten designed chair from 1915 Carl Malmsten (December 7, 1888 – August 13, 1972) was a Swedish furniture designer, architect, and educator who was known for his devotion to traditional Swedish craftmanship (slöjd) and his opposition to functionalism. He "considered the rationalization of the home according to functionalist principles a debasement of its traditional role as an intimate place for gathering and repose".
Also recorded as Carl Per Hendrik Malmsten
Carl Malmsten

City - drömmen om ett nytt hjärta · Public domain
- Born
- 1888 · Klara Church Parish.
- Died
- 1972 · Borgholms parish.
- Nationality
- Sweden
- Occupation
- designer · architect
- Honours
- Litteris et Artibus · Prince Eugen Medal · Professor
- Languages
- Swedish
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Carl Malmsten • Illustration — Malmsten designed chair from 1915 Carl Malmsten (December 7, 1888 – August 13, 1972) was a Swedish furniture designer, architect, and educator who was known for his devotion to traditional Swedish craftmanship (slöjd) and his opposition to functionalism. He "considered the rationalization of the home according to functionalist principles a debasement of its traditional role as an intimate place for gathering and repose".
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Note VALÉORINE
Carl Malmsten (1888–1972) was a Swedish architect, designer and furniture designer. Born in Klara Church Parish, the architect died in Borgholms parish.
Languages used include Swedish. Works by Carl Malmsten are held at Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nationalmuseum and Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design. The architect received Litteris et Artibus, Prince Eugen Medal and Professor.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q726518 · wikipedia · Carl Malmsten
In this article
Biography
Biography
Lars Pirak is recorded as having studied under Carl Malmsten. The recorded working language is Swedish. Work by Carl Malmsten is recorded in the collections of Nationalmuseum, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design. Distinctions recorded are Litteris et Artibus, Prince Eugen Medal and Professor.
Malmsten was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the son of Karl Malmsten and Inez Cadier. Malmsten's career took off when he won a competition in 1916 to design furniture for the Stockholm City Hall (stadshus); in 1917, he exhibited alongside well-known Swedish architects such as Gunnar Asplund and Uno Åhrén. Malmsten founded an eponymous furniture store on the riverfront of Stockholm. The store is currently run by his grandson. In the 1920s he was invited to furnish a room for the crown prince, Gustaf VI Adolf, and his wife Louise in Ulriksdal Palace. He was honoured with an inaugural Prince Eugen Medal for design in 1945.
Personal life
Personal life
In 1917, he was married to Siv Munthe (1894-1972). Together with his wife, he founded the Siv and Carl Malmsten Memorial Foundation (Stiftelsen Siv och Carl Malmstens Minne). The Foundation owns the intellectual property rights from Carl Malmsten. Malmsten was the paternal grandfather of author Bodil Malmsten (1944–2016).

Carl Malmsten, avfotograferad porträttbild från Allhems Svenskt konstnärslexikon.
Svenskt konstnärslexikon
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Klara Church Parish.
Birth place
Borgholms parish.
Death place
Legacy
Malmsten has had a lasting influence on Swedish furniture design through the two schools he founded—the Carl Malmsten Furniture Studies (Carl Malmstensskolan), which has been a part of Linköping University since 2000, is situated on the island of Lidingö on the outskirts of Stockholm. The school had been situated in the city centre until 2009. Malmsten's second school, Capellagården, is located on the island of Öland in Vickleby. It offers courses in textile craft and design, cabinet making, furniture design, interior carpentry, ceramics, and organic horticulture.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q726518: Carl Malmsten
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Carl Malmsten”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Malmstenbutiken. Carl Malmsten. About Carl.
- 2.The Museum of Modern Art. Modern Swedish Design Theory: Three Founding Texts. 130, 341. 2008. 978-0870707223.
- 3.Berry, Oliver. Stockholm's enduring style. www.bbc.com. 30 May 2012.
- 4.Ulriksdal Palace open for Group Visits Year Round. 9 March 2012.
- 5.Prins Eugen Medaljen.
- 6.Annica Kvint. Carl Malmsten, Romantikern som fick rätt. capellagarden.
- 7.Capellagården. Courses.
- 8.Stiftelsen Siv och Carl Malmstens Minne. Stiftelsen och historik.
- 9.Författaren Bodil Malmsten. Svenska Dagbladet. 6 February 2016.
References
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Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
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People, houses and institutions
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Citizenship
1- SwedenPlace
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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