The large range of furniture (möbler) making styles range from simple, practical items such as furniture for the office or school house, up to the ornate and luxurious. There are certain styles which are synonymous with certain designers, or time periods from which they hail, or even the area from which they originate. Wood has been a mainstay material in furniture construction, and it has been used for utilitarian as well as artistic purposes, especially by Scandinavian craftsmen.
Bruno Mathsson is remembered among the best ever to design furniture in what is known as the Scandinavian style. This gentleman not only created enduring living and dining room sets, but was also well regarded as an architect. His most renowned furniture was first released in the mid-1930’s. However, many of those styles are still released in both legitimate and illegitimate reproductions.
Many of Mathsson’s best known furniture designs are various living room chairs including his Pernilla 2 easy chair and Pernilla 3 lounge chair. In trying to find the most comfortable furniture shapes Mathsson once sat himself in the snow to observe the shape that was left from his natural sitting position and this can be seen particularly well in the Pernilla 3 chair.
The Pernilla 2 easy chair has a very close relative in the Pernilla 69. With their beautiful, organic lines, pillow headrest and optional padded armrests these luxurious chairs envelope you in an ergonomically perfect sitting position. Needless to say, they are extraordinarily comfortable chairs, especially when they are finished in a soft leather.
The Pernilla 3 is equally known for it’s comfort levels but that’s no surprise once you’ve seen this Mathsson masterpiece. If you thought the Pernilla 2 had stylish lines the lounger version will grab you instantly. Like many other people both in Sweden and abroad, you’ll just have to have one. And if it’s comfort you’re after you should know that the Pernilla 3 also comes with pillow headrest and armrests. But you also have the option of having it covered in a quality Australian sheepskin for ultimate comfort.
During the material shortages of WWII, Mathsson utilized several different materials in the creation of his chairs. The frames of the chairs are made of bentwood. There were a variety of materials used for the seating. What makes the Bruno Mathsson Pernilla chair line stand out is the variety of materials they are created from. A testament to their ergonomic design is that regardless of what they are made of, they still retain their luxurious comfort.
Mathsson identifies the curves and bows of his chairs with feminine sensibility, so he names his different lines using women’s names, such as Pernilla. Both the design of Mathsson’s chairs and the organic lines have found favor with critics. In fact, some call a Mathsson chair “the most comfortable chair you could possibly sit in”. By combining an ottoman of complementary design with the Pernilla 2 and Pernilla 69 chairs, the resulting shape is much like the Pernilla 3 lounger. Pairing chairs and ottomans allow Mathsson pieces to be used in different ways and unique arrangements with the flexibility Mathsson strove for in his designs.
