Swedish Taupe Velvet and Elm Armchair by Elsa Gullberg, 1930s

This rare armchair was produced by AB Elsa Gullberg in the late 1930s. The organically shaped arms of the chair and the carved, tapered legs give the chair a sculptural and modern feel. The chair is upholstered in a taupe/grayish velvet fabric, the legs are in solid elm wood.

This design was exhibited at several important exhibitions at the time: Liljevalchs, Stockholm 1936, Paris World Fair 1937 and at Vi Bo in Ribbershus, 1938. The architects Rolf Engströmer, Carl Axel Acking, Nils Ahrbom and Helge Zimdal all worked for Elsa Gullberg at this time. Elsa Gullberg herself also designed some furniture pieces.

Elsa Gullberg (1886-1984)
Swedish textile artist Elsa Gullberg studied art and design in Stockholm in the early 1900s. In 1927 she started her own firm Elsa Gullberg Textilier, initially intending to design both handwoven and machine made carpets and upholstery materials. Not only did she create and produce individual home items, her firm also took on major public projects such as creating the entire interior of the luxurious Swedish cruise liner MS Kungsholm in 1928. This effectively made Gullberg the first interior decorator in Sweden, establishing her reputation for reliability, and awareness of current style and quiet elegance. She was very actively involved in the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design, who believed that well-designed goods should be produced by the industry in order to be affordable for everyone. Gullberg was a committee member of the Liljevalchs Exhibition in 1917 and of the influential 1930 Stockholm exhibition. One of the few women in a male dominated field, Elsa Gullberg was and influential pioneering figure who can be regarded as one of the forerunners of the Swedish Modern era.

Literature references
Form: Svenska slöjdföreningens tidskrift, Svenska slöjdföreningen, Stockholm, 1938. sp 156-188.
Svenska Slöjdföreningen archive
AB Elsa Gullberg company archive.