Greta Magnusson Grossman

The Swedish designer and architect Greta Magnusson Grossman was born in Helsingborg in 1906. She begins her career as a carpenter's apprentice at Kärnans furniture manufacturing company in her hometown, but eventually moves to Stockholm to study at the Technical School, now known as Konstfack.

After graduating, Greta Magnusson Grossman works at the furniture manufacturing company AB Harald Westerberg on Kungsgatan in central Stockholm. In the early 1930s, she starts her own company called Studio. In her office at Stureplan, she designs and produces furniture and furnishings.

When Greta Magnusson Grossman had been running her own business for almost 10 years, she and her husband decided to emigrate to the United States, more specifically to Los Angeles. Once there, Magnusson Magnusson Grossman was commissioned by a number of well-known furniture manufacturers, such as Barker Brothers, Ralph O. Smith & Co. and not least Glenn of California. For these companies she designs modern furniture, lamps and other home furnishings.

In the decades to come, Greta Magnusson Grossman would become a leading figure in modern and experimental architecture. Her ability to create buildings perfectly suited to Beverly Hills' hilly terrain. She achieved great success with her architecture and was published in the magazine Arts & Architecture. In Sweden there is a house designed by Magnusson-Grossman in Hudiksvall. The house was designed in 1959 in the modernist style and has a living area of 136 square metres.

Although Greta Magnusson-Grossman achieved great success in architecture, it is probably her furniture and lighting that she is best known for. Her work includes the 62 series, a collection of furniture consisting of a desk, cupboard and chest of drawers. The series was created in 1952 and was named 62 because Magnusson Grossman felt that the collection was ten years ahead of its time. In addition to this series, she also designed the Cobra and Grasshopper lighting series, as it is known internationally.

Greta Magnusson Grossman passes away in 1999 in San Diego, USA. She leaves behind several modern design classics from the 1940s, 50s and 60s that are still appreciated by people all over the world.