Architect and furniture designer, Bruno Mathsson, is celebrated for his chairs and well insulated houses. His designs are extremely practical, versatile and beautiful. Mr. Mathsson's acclaimed home furnishing credits also include computer desks, daybeds and tables. An example embodying his fine taste for design is the Fällbord table which incorporates and exemplifies beauty, elegance, versatility and practicality.

It was natural that a young Mathsson would grow up to work with wood primarily, because the Mathsson family had done nothing else for five generations before him. As a little boy, his chores were in the family furniture (möbler) and woodworking shop, and he had hands on experience with techniques, tools and woods all of his life.

To get more skills and knowledge, especially in the engineering and technical aspects, not readily available in his small town of Varnamo, Mathsson sent away for books and consulted experts. Not only did he gain the knowledge and skills, he also created a network of mentors who helped him later on. His formal education was supported in part by design awards he earned for his furniture (möbler).

All of Mathsson's different furniture (annorlunda möbler) styles were designed to provide the utmost in comfort and beauty. He also knew that people love furniture pieces that are flexible enough to be moved around and used in new and different ways. His modular furniture, which can be used in a variety of applications, proved to be very popular.

The Fällbord table is such a versatile piece. In Swedish, fällbord simply means "folding table" but in reality it is much more. It was first produced in 1935, with the main parts of the supporting trestle made of birch. The table top was made in birch and with a white laminate surface as well as models in oak, beech, cherry, oak, ash and other woods.

When fully-extended the Mathsson table expands to a length of 280 cm. When the table is collapsed, it fits into a tiny 23 cm bundle. With the use of table leaves, the table could be used as a small writing table for one or expanded into a banquet table and everything in between. If you're used to doing measurement using inches, the above table range is from 9 inches to around 110 1/4 inches.

It would seem that the Fällbord table was inspired by the collapsible tables one sees in rural houses in Sweden, permitting flexible usage where there is not much room. However, the elegant simplicity of Mathsson's renderings and craftsmanship turned their style into one uniquely his own. While he changed in the 1960's and used metals and up-to-date man-made materials from that point, it is generally felt that his high point was reached with the creation of those furnishings, such as the Fällbord, which he crafted in wood.

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Bruno Mathsson was not only an architect of beautiful houses, he was also a creator of elegant, yet practical, fine furniture. Growing up in a family with a long, proud, multi-generational legacy of furniture making, he learned about all aspects of furniture making, which shows in the quality of his different furniture styles. For example, the mathsson fällbord table would be an excellent addition to anyone's home furnishing (inredning). It can fold and expand for maximum flexibility depending on its desired use and available space constraints. His furniture (möbler) is available in a variety of materials also.