Josef Frank Console Tables
Austrian, 1885-1967
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.
to
Height
to
Width
to
Depth
to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
229
190
79
78
78
Creator: Josef Frank
Mahogany Sideboard by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
By Josef Frank
Located in San Francisco, CA
Mahogany sideboard by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn (Model 821, designed 1930s). Five drawers with burnished brass handles and sycamore inlay. Three larger drawers lockable, key inclu...
Category
1930s Modern Vintage Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Related Items
Josef Frank Folding Bar Cart or Side Table by Svensk Tenn
By Josef Frank
Located in Munich, DE
Light and easy to store foldable table with a nice print by Josef Frank.
Category
1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Formica
20th Century Swedish Svenskt Tenn Vintage Sofa Table - Diplomat by Josef Frank
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish sofa table "diplomat" made of hand crafted polished Beechwood, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Beech
$7,800
H 19 in W 41.5 in D 41.5 in
Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn
Diplomat
Square Coffee Table in Mahogany
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, 'Diplomat coffee table, model '2073', mahogany, Sweden, 1949
Josef Frank’s 1949 Diplomat coffee table presents itself as a restrained piece: square in ...
Category
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Mahogany
$8,200
H 18.9 in W 41.15 in D 41.15 in
Midcentury Desk by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Beautiful desk by Josef Frank, made from mahogany with a smooth look. Clean lines and subtly rounded forms, a timeless piece.
There are some dents in the table top that have been pr...
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Mahogany
20th Century Swedish Vintage Svenskt Tenn Mahogany Coffee Table by Josef Frank
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A square, vintage Mid-Century modern Swedish coffee table made of hand crafted polished Mahogany, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn in good condition. The Scandina...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Metal, Brass
$6,900
H 23.75 in W 31.5 in D 31.5 in
Midcentury Modern Sideboard by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, 1950s
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Stockholm, SE
Amazing sideboard by Josef Frank, in a rare design with multiple drawers and decorative details. Made from mahogany with brass handles and hinges. Inlayed line of lighter wood around...
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Mahogany
$53,797
H 35.04 in W 22.45 in D 86.62 in
Midcentury Coffee Table by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Small coffee or side table by Josef Frank, made from mahogany with a rounded corner tabletop. Light design with elegantly sculpted legs.
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Mahogany
$5,200
H 21.46 in W 31.5 in D 21.26 in
Occasional Table Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Occasional table designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn,
Sweden. 1950s.
Mahogany.
H: 45 cm
L: 80 cm
D: 40 cm
Josef Frank was a true European, he was also a pioneer of what would become classic 20th century Swedish design and the “Scandinavian Design Style”.
Austrian- born Frank started his design career as an architect after having trained at the Technische Hochschule in Vienna between 1903 and 1910. After his training he went on to teach at Kunstgewerbeschule (The Viennese School of Arts and crafts) where he developed and espoused the new school of modernist thinking towards Architecture and Design that was coming to fruition in Vienna at the time. He also went on to lead the Vienna Werkbund throughout the 1920s. This was a truly progressive group of Architects and Designers who set about improving the daily lives of Austrian people through modernist design and architecture in partnership with Arts and Crafts ideals and construction. Frank’s leadership of the Werkbund had already cemented his place at the forefront of European design.
Frank’s time in Vienna was typified by his design for the “Die Wohnung” exhibition of the Deutscher Werkbund in Stuttgart, 1927 where he exhibited along side his contemporaries at the forefront of design, such as the likes of Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. Here he showed a specially designed pair of flat-roofed reinforced concrete houses in what is now seen as a typical modernist style.
What separated Frank’s house from the other 32 houses of the exhibition was the interior and furniture inside the building. It was described as “Neo-Classical” and filled with an eclectic mix of period pieces, modern design and pieces designed by Frank himself that seemed to cross the two worlds. This was a complete opposite direction to that which his fellow Architects were travelling in with their pared back and angular aesthetics. Frank said of his own work: “The house is not a work of art, simply a place where one lives,” and by this reasoning Frank rejected the regimental mechanisation of the living space that his contemporaries believed in, instead he set about creating congenial and spontaneous interiors. Frank’s practice saw him placing the bright colours and the soft forms of nature back into the furnishings and interiors that he thought modernism sorely mist.
Frank, along with Oskar Walch set up Haus und Garten in Vienna in 1925. This was Frank’s first commercial foray into furniture and home furnishings and the company went on to become the most influential furnishing house in Vienna with a riotous depth of colour and interesting shapes becoming the trademark of their design. However this success was to come to an end with rise of Nazism in Vienna in the early 1930’s. Frank was Jewish, and he and his wife Anna decided they would leave Vienna for her motherland: Sweden, in 1933. Frank continued to design for Haus and Garten, visiting Vienna occasionally and designing the pieces that would continue to be the company’s best...
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Mahogany
$6,575
H 17.72 in W 31.5 in D 15.75 in
Bedside Table Model ‘914’ Designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Sweden
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Bedside table model 914 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn,
Sweden, 1950s.
Mahogany veneer and brass handle.
Josef Frank’s elegant bedside table model 914 with sophisticated ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Brass
$4,303
H 22.25 in W 15.75 in D 25.79 in
20th Century, Swedish Svensk Tenn Cuban Mahogany Coffee Table by Josef Frank
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A dark-brown, vintage Art Deco Swedish coffee, sofa table made of hand crafted polished cuban mahogany wood, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svensk Tenn in good condition. Th...
Category
Early 20th Century Swedish Art Deco Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Mahogany
$5,900
H 21.65 in W 30 in D 22 in
Midcentury Serving Cart by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, Sweden, 1950s
By Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn
Located in Stockholm, SE
Elegant serving cart by Josef Frank, made from mahogany in a versatile design. Drop leaves, a drawer that slides both ways and a removable tray under the table top.
Width 89 cm with...
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Mahogany
$4,034
H 25.99 in W 31.5 in D 20.87 in
Walnut and Brass Serving Trolley Model 756 by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn 1940s
By Josef Frank
Located in Stockholm, SE
Serving trolley model 756 designed by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn,
Sweden, 1940s.
Veneered walnut and brass.
H: 65 cm
W: 53 cm
Width when fully extended: 89 cm
D: 80 cm
Josef Fr...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Brass
$4,034
H 25.6 in W 35.04 in D 31.5 in
Previously Available Items
Console Table by Josef Frank, Sweden, circa 1950
By Josef Frank
Located in New York, NY
Beautiful console table by Josef Frank.
Made from mahogany and cherry.
Dimension: 70.75" L x 20.5" D x 30" H.
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Wood
Early Josef Frank Console
By Josef Frank
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Early console designed by Josef Frank and manufactured by Svenskt Tenn of Sweden. Highly figured and expressive mahogany top with carved drawer fronts and brass pulls.
Category
1930s Swedish Vintage Josef Frank Console Tables
Materials
Brass
Josef Frank console tables for sale on 1stDibs.
Josef Frank console tables are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Josef Frank console tables, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original console tables by Josef Frank were created in the Scandinavian Modern style in sweden during the 1950s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider console tables by and Axel Einar Hjorth. Prices for Josef Frank console tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $6,000 and can go as high as $7,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $6,750.