Vintage Frisco coffee table, designed by Folke Ohlsson for Tingströms, Sweden, 1960s

Description

Vintage Frisco coffee table, designed by Folke Ohlsson for Tingströms, Sweden, 1960s

Elegant Frisco model coffee table designed by Folke Ohlsson for the Swedish furniture manufacturer Tingströms in the 1960s. Frisco is a refined example of Swedish MCM design. Made from high-quality teak wood, the piece is distinguished by its minimalist yet dynamic form, whose most characteristic feature is the slightly raised edges of the tabletop, giving it a unique, almost sculptural profile. The construction is based on slender, tapered legs stabilised by crossbars, which emphasise the visual lightness of the design as a whole. By combining functionality with the natural beauty of the teak grain, this table became an iconic design produced by renowned manufacturers such as Tingströms and Dux. This is one of the variants of the model, which was made in various shapes and sizes. All of them, however, featured a raised tabletop edge. Unfortunately, the manufacturer’s mark has not survived.

Folke Ohlsson was born and raised in Sweden. In 1953, he moved to the United States and founded Dux Incorporated, which achieved international success. Ohlsson’s armchair and sofa designs are valued for their graceful combination of traditional details and modernist simplicity. His work earned him considerable recognition and numerous awards, including an award for the best design at the Triennale exhibition in Milan in 1964, as well as the decoration of the Royal Order of the Vasa in Sweden, awarded by King Gustaf VI Adolf.

Tingströms was a Swedish furniture manufacturer that gained international recognition in the 1950s and 1960s as one of the pillars of the Swedish Modern style. Tingströms became particularly renowned through its collaboration with the architectural duo Sven Engström and Gunnar Myrstrand. Their designs are characterised by purity of form, functionality and the use of noble materials, primarily teak and oak. Tingströms furniture often bears the distinctive Bra Bohag label, which literally means Good Home Furnishings. This was an elite association of Swedish manufacturers and designers whose aim was to promote high-quality design and make it easier for customers to access the best-designed everyday objects. Tingströms’ range also included designs by other acclaimed creators, such as Folke Ohlsson (the Frisco series) and Alf Svensson.

Literature: Siesing, Andreas, Swedish Furniture: Folkhem Design in Wool, Jacaranda, Pine and Beech: 1949-1970, Atlantis, Stockholm, 2015, p. 432

The table has been preserved in its original vintage condition. It has minor signs of age, circular marks and a natural patina.

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