Austrian architect and furniture and fabric designer Josef Frank was a leading voice for a gentle, humane modernism. His advocacy of warm, comfortable, eclectically styled environments was highly influential in his adopted country of Sweden, and it’s now widely regarded as a harbinger of the backlash against doctrinaire modernism and the embrace of the homespun that occurred in the late 1960s.
The son of a successful Viennese textile manufacturer, Frank studied architecture at Vienna University of Technology, graduating in 1910. From the first years of his practice, he marched counter to the orderly, symmetrical architectural layouts and decors prescribed by contemporaries such as Adolf Loos.
Frank drafted rooms of varying shapes and called for flexible interior-design arrangements. His furniture pieces are light and easy to move — and his chairs are always made of wood, most often with lushly curved steam-bent arms and slatted backs. Frank openly loathed the tubular steel furnishings and “machine for living” aesthetic promoted by Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and other Bauhaus principals. “The home must not be a mere efficient machine,” Frank once said. “It must offer comfort, rest and coziness…. There are no puritan principles in good interior decoration.”
Frank — who was Jewish — sensed the dire implications of the rise of Nazism in Germany and Austria, and in 1933 he moved to Stockholm with his Swedish wife, Anna. He became the design chief for the furnishings maker Svenskt Tenn and found a perfect match culturally for his brand of simple, relaxed and bright creations. Like many modernists — notably Charles and Ray Eames and Alexander Girard — Frank had a deep love of folk art, which influenced his designs for a wide array of colorful, richly patterned upholstery fabrics, many based on the classic “Tree of Life” motif.
In all his designs, Frank took inspiration from a broad variety of sources. In his furniture, one can discern traces of Asian patterns, Rococo, Italian Renaissance, Scandinavian handicrafts and even Chippendale pieces. As such, the work of Frank — the friendly modernist — is at home in any type of décor.
Find vintage Josef Frank pillows, armchairs, floor lamps and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Josef Frank Art Deco Brass Leather Floor Lamp Haus & Garten circa 1935 Austria
By J.T. Kalmar, Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
Art deco vintage floor lamp from brass and leather attributed to Josef Frank for Haus & Garten manufactured by J.T.Kalmar, circa 1935 Vienna. An amazing floor lamp design attributed ...
Brass, Iron
Art Deco Brass Vintage Floor Lamp by Kaspar & Sic Vienna 1932 Josef Frank Fabric
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco Era floor lamp by Kaspar & Sic Kunstgewerbe Werkstätten für Metallarbeiten, Vienna, 1932 from brass with wooden dark brown stained handle. The stem is extendable from up to down from 176 cm to 230 cm. So the floor lamp is great for each seating and for every personal height to relax and reading. The base and the stem are characterized through beautiful brass patina. The renewed lamp shade is covered with lush textile fabric. Its design by Josef Frank was created in the 1930s and the company Svenskt Tenn is responsible for the today´s making. This model of floor lamp was used in the Vienna Werkbund estate ( Werkbundsiedlung ) for the house number 63. The architect of this house was Arthur Grünberger. Responsible for the interior was BEST ( Beratungsstelle für Inneneinrichtung des Österreichischen Verbandes für Wohnungsreform ) under the leadership of Ernst Lichtblau...
Brass
Art Deco J.T.Kalmar Vintage Floor Lamp Neolift Josef Frank Fabric 1946 Vienna
By J.T. Kalmar
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco vintage floor lamp designed by J.T. Kalmar with the model name Neolift was made of colorless lacquered brass. The cast iron base plate shows the stamped number JTK 46. Also ...
Brass, Iron
Art Deco Vintage Nickel Floor Lamp Kaspar & Sic Josef Frank Fabric Vienna, 1932
Located in Vienna, AT
Art Deco vintage floor lamp from nickel plated brass Kaspar & Sic with replaced lamp shade in its original shape covered with white Josef Frank design fabric manufactured by Svenskt Tenn. A beautiful floor lamp Kaspar & Sic with a replaced lamp shade hand made in its original form with a stunning cover from white textile linen fabric in high quality printed with the fabulous pattern design by Josef Frank 1930s in Vienna and manufactured by Svenskt Tenn today. This floor lamp shows a foot switch and a rewired black cable. The lamp shade is adjustable from up to down ( approx. measures from 146.5 cm to 217 cm, please note, that we take the measures from the widest point ) and a white wooden handle. Encased iron base for a safe and secure standing. Very good condition - ready to live condition Approx. measures: Width 46.5 cm Depth 83 cm Height from 146.5 cm to 217 cm This model was used in the Vienna Werkbund estate ( Werkbundsiedlung ) for the house number...
Brass, Nickel
Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brass Table Lamp Kalmar, 1950s, Austria
By J.T. Kalmar
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid-Century Modern vintage brass table lamp, which was designed and manufactured by Kalmar, 1950s, Austria. While the base and the significant splayfoot was made out of brass tube an...
Metal, Brass
Rupert Nikoll Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brass Floor Lamp Josef Frank Shade
By Rupert Nikoll
Located in Vienna, AT
Rupert Nikoll designed and executed this beautiful example of Viennese floor lamps from the Mid-Century Modern era in the 1950s. The floor lamp was made of brass tube and a wooden ha...
Brass
Josef Frank J.T. Kalmar Table Lamp Tisch-Überall, Brass & Leather, Austria, 1930
By Oskar Wlach, J.T. Kalmar, Haus & Garten, Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Vienna, AT
A wonderful Viennese Modernism table or desk lamp form the 1930s, designed by Josef Frank for Haus & Garten (Josef Frank und Oskar Wlach) in 1934. The...
Brass, Iron, Wire
Karlskrona Lampfabrik, Table Lamp, Brass, Josef Frank Fabric, Sweden, 1940s
By Karlskrona Lampfabrik
Located in Stamford, CT
Karlskrona Lampfabrik, Swedish Mid-Century Modern, Table Lamp, Brass, Josef Frank Fabric, Sweden, 1940s A heavily patinated model 2951S brass table...
Brass
Table Lamp by Josef Frank for Kalmar, 1930s
By Josef Frank
Located in Purkersdorf, AT
Large brass table lamp. Designed by Josef Frank and manufactured by J.T. Kalmar in the 1930s. Two E27 sockets. Original silk shade.
Brass
Hans Bergström, table lamp 726, brass & textile, Ateljé Lyktan, Sweden, 1940s
By Josef Frank, Ateljé Lyktan, Hans Bergström
Located in Forserum, SE
Scandinavian mid-century table lamp, model 726, designed by Hans Bergström and produced by the Swedish manufacturer Ateljé Lyktan in the 1940s. Crafted in brass with a circular base ...
Brass
Mid-Century Modern Brass Table Lamp by Josef Frank, Sweden, 1930s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A gold, vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish dressing table lamp with a new white round shade made of hand crafted polished brass, designed by Jos...
Metal, Brass
Modernist Table Lamp by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Elegant brass table or desk lamp by Josef Frank, with an asymmetric shade and flexible neck. Lacquered green in a nuance that goes beautifully with the warm brass.
Brass
