The Liljevalchs sofa with its matching armchair was among the first pieces that Josef Frank designed for Svenskt Tenn in 1934. They were named after an exhibition at Liljevalchs Konsthall in Stockholm the same year, where they gained attention for their voluminous shape and generous seating depth. Both the sofa and armchair were launched during a time when strict, functionalist furniture dominated the market and have come to represent Josef Frank's aversion to what he called "the Swedish Crafts Association dullness." The Liljevalchs sofa was upholstered with Baker's chintz fabric, ‘Körsbär’, in Estrid Ericson's home on Strandvägen, and it experienced a revival in connection with the 100th anniversary of Josef Frank's birth in 1985. For the centenary 2024, the accompanying armchair is relaunched after resting in Svenskt Tenn's archive for nearly a decade.
Designer
Josef Frank
Josef Frank grew up in Vienna and studied architecture at Technische Hochschule (the Vienna University of Technology) in 1903 – 1908. In the 1920s he designed housing estates and large residential blocks built around common courtyards in a Vienna with severe housing shortages. In 1925, he founded the Haus & Garten interior firm together with architect colleague Oskar Wlach. Svenskt Tenn hired Josef Frank in 1934 and just a few years later he and Estrid Ericson made their international breakthrough. Although he was already 50 when he left the burgeoning Nazism in Vienna for Sweden, Frank is considered one of Sweden’s most important designers. Read more