[1] He "considered the rationalization of the home according to functionalist principles a debasement of its traditional role as an intimate place for gathering and repose".
Malmsten's career took off when he won a competition in 1916 to design furniture for the Stockholm City Hall (stadshus); in 1917, he exhibited alongside well-known Swedish architects such as Gunnar Asplund and Uno Åhrén.
[2] Malmsten founded an eponymous furniture store on the riverfront of Stockholm.
[3] In the 1920s he was invited to furnish a room for the crown prince, Gustaf VI Adolf, and his wife Louise in Ulriksdal Palace.
[5] Malmsten has had a lasting influence on Swedish furniture design through the two schools he founded—the Carl Malmsten Furniture Studies (Carl Malmstensskolan), which has been a part of Linköping University since 2000, is situated on the island of Lidingö on the outskirts of Stockholm.