Josef Frank

Josef Frank is one of the designers who has left the most significant mark on Swedish design history. Despite his relatively brief period in Sweden, he is regarded as one of the most pivotal designers of all time, having created numerous patterns, pieces of furniture, and objects that remain highly coveted today.

Born in Baden, Austria, in 1885 into an assimilated Jewish family, Josef Frank's father was a textile merchant, and his mother, an artist, produced textile designs. He studied architecture in Vienna and during the 1920s designed both detached houses and extensive estates in the city. In 1925, alongside two fellow architects, he founded the Haus & Garten interior design firm and exhibited the Model 2025 chair at the Paris Exposition with architect Oscar Wlach.

As an early Viennese modernist, Josef Frank began to challenge the tenets of modernism in the 1920s. He criticised Le Corbusier’s notion of the home as a machine and expressed concerns that standardised interiors would render individuals uniform and dull.

In 1933, political pressures forced him into exile, leading him to Stockholm.

Josef Frank and Svenskt Tenn

The subsequent year, Josef Frank initiated a collaboration with Estrid Ericson, the founder of Svenskt Tenn. They had started corresponding in the late 1920s after Ericson had seen Frank’s Haus & Garten interiors in two separate magazines.

At Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank had both a unique platform and valuable support from Estrid Ericson, who was an exceptionally artistic producer. His tenure at the company generated a particularly rich array of designs. The Svenskt Tenn archive houses over 2,000 furniture sketches and 160 textile patterns attributed to him.

Josef Frank's design philosophy sharply contrasted with the austere functionalism prevalent in architecture and design during the 1930s. He was drawn to a freer, more artistic ideal focused on homeliness, comfort, and colour. Frank contended that tubular steel furniture posed a threat to humanity and sought to incorporate the colours and shapes of nature into his designs. He advocated for designs that allowed individuals to breathe and experience freedom even within enclosed spaces. Hence, he favoured furniture with transparent elements, such as chairs with openwork backs and cabinets on tall legs that clarified the demarcation between the floor and the wall.

Timeless design that endures

The timeless designs of Josef Frank have found a place in diverse settings, both within Sweden and internationally. His pieces, including the Knot of Friendship candlestick, the round coffee table model 2139, and the display cabinet model 2077, continue to be highly sought after and fetch high prices on the second-hand market.