Danish design chairs
Denmark has a proud design tradition, and that is also evident when it comes to designing chairs. You can see this in both dining chairs, stools and benches that have been designed by Danish designers. The Danish design chairs started to become known all around the world in the 20th century. Among the most famous Danish chair designers are Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen. Not only did they create furniture that inspired designers in Denmark, but also internationally. You can still see the impact of their work and designs in modern furniture design.
On this page you can read about the different Danish design chairs that helped define the Danish chairs that, over time, have become icons of furniture – and chair design.
Praise to great materials, local craft traditions and refined Nordic design
Sustainability is our greatest passion and has been since the day we founded Form & Refine. Our used materials are carefully selected and crafted with a great amount of skill and experience, using long-established traditions. We salute the natural materials, and form exclusive collections of refined Nordic design.
A sustainable creation
Regarding CO2 emissions, we take great consideration in everything we do and produce. At Form & Refine we believe in a sustainable future, and we are committed to continuing to improve our own awareness. We believe that there is always room for improvement.
Our commitment to sustainability is aligned with the UN Global Goals (UNGG) on Sustainability. We take responsibility and want to produce in the most environmental way possible. UNGGs description of the global issues and objectives, correspond to the values of our own business. This is also why we have divided our sustainability commitment into the following 5 areas: CO2 Footprint, Durability, Social Equity, Economic Benefits and Natural Materials.
Read more about our sustainability commitment.
Natural materials
Since our establing in 2018, we have celebrated the minimalist simplicity and the embracing of natural materials. We praise the most durable and sustainable materials like wood, brass, stoneware, steel, alpaca, cork, and raw vegetable tanned leather. These are the materials we find patinate beautifully over time, and ensure a product which will stand the test of time.
The chairs that defined Danish chair design
First off, the Danish chair is similar to every other chair you see all over the world. It is a piece of furniture that has a close resemblance to the human body – with a seat, arms, legs and a back. Not only that, but the user of the chair touches almost all parts of the chair while using it. This gives a close connection between the user and the object. Underneath here, we will explore the different chairs that embody Danish design chairs.
The CH24 – The wishbone chair
A very well-known dining chair, which in particular can be found in many dining rooms all around Denmark. It is the first chair which Hans J. Wegner designed in 1949. The chair is made in a timeless, minimalistic design, and has the signature wishbone-shaped back support, which in turn has afforded the chair the nickname “the wishbone chair”. By many, this is considered to be his most well-known chair.
The Egg – A smooth leather hug
Designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958, The Egg is widely known for its round curves and egg-like shape. It is very much a showcase of your typical Scandinavian minimalism. The departure from more detail-driven design was very much a big part of the chairs which Arne Jacobsen designed in this period. A timeless classic for sure, which is defined by some of the most prevalent design cues of the time.
The CH36 – An elegant dining chair
A chair designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1962, which is one of the chairs from the famous Danish designer that most resemble one of our own chairs – The Blueprint chair. However similar the two chairs might be, the construction of the two chairs are very different. The seating, made of wicker, versus the solid wooden seat makes the experience of sitting on the two chairs very different from each other. The same goes for the look of the two chairs, with our chair being just slightly more minimalistic than its Hans J. Wegner counterpart.
The designers that put Danish chairs on the map
So, who are these designers that helped put Danish furniture design on the world map, and ultimately establish it in the minds of consumers all over the world? In the below section, we will take a closer look at these designers, and what made their designs so special.
Hans J. Wegner
Probably one of the most familiar names in Danish furniture design. He designed more than 500 chairs, and helped innovate a great deal when it came to designing furniture. Functionality and simplicity are a part of the core of his designs, which have been in production since 1950. He started as an apprentice at the Danish cabinetmaker H. F. Stahlberg, whereafter he attended the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen. In 1938, he started designing furniture for Aarhus City Hall. The design journey and career of Hans J. Wegner had now begun. In 1943 he established his own design studio, and here he created one of his most well-known chairs – The Wishbone Chair. Ever since its creation it has been in steady production, which is a testament to the design indeed being timeless.
He received a long list of awards for his designs. So not only did regular people recognize his furniture’s design and functionality, but it was also widely acknowledged by the artistic elite. Cementing this statement, is the fact that his works are on display at many of the world’s biggest design museums like the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Die Neue Sammlung in Munich, Germany.
Arne Jacobsen
Mr. Jacobsen was one of Denmark’s most renowned architects. Although he was mainly an architect, he sculpted furniture that was specifically designed for certain architectural projects. Besides this, he also designed textiles, lighting, and other designs, all made with the same philosophy as his architectural and furniture designs. He started out his career by training as a mason, then graduating from technical college in Copenhagen, and at last finished by studying to become an architect at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
His designs were inspired by nature, and combined the organic shapes with functionalism, to arrive at furniture which not only looked good, but were also highly functional. A trait that is also used to describe the late architect’s approach to design its perfectionism, where his attention to detail especially shows in one of his most well-known projects, which is the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. Here, he designed both the building and all the interior parts, making sure that the design language stayed consistent throughout.
Børge Mogensen
One of the big designers in “Danish Modern”, a certain style of furniture design popularized around the 1920s, was Børge Mogensen. As with other Danish Modern furniture, the designs were functional and simple. Known as “the people’s designer”, because of his furniture being of high quality, but also being within the grasp of regular people, he had a very wide appeal. He started his career by completing training as a cabinetmaker in 1934 and worked in both Klint and Mogens Koch’s studios. Next, he was hired as chief designer for FDB in 1942.
After this, he opened his own design studio in 1950, he made modern, practical furniture, which were made from materials from the Nordic countries. He took inspiration from many different places, including lithographs and Japanese carvings among others, and modernized traditional furniture.
Other than making his own furniture, he also taught furniture design. When designing his furniture, he also put an emphasis on using modern production facilities, which is very in tune with his furniture being for the people.
Danish design chairs and stools at Form & Refine
In our designs, we seek to honor these Danish designers, who helped pave the way for the design powerhouse that the brand of Danish design is today, while still making sure that we keep innovating. So, we continue the tradition of minimalistic and functional chairs, stools and benches with a strong outline and recognizable details. What we further strive to do in order to differentiate us from our competitors is by keeping our sustainability profile at the highest level.
Combine your favorite chairs, stools and benches with our scandinavian design tables.
When we design our furniture, we don’t compromise on either quality, materials, aesthetics, or functionality. Making sure that our customers will have a piece furniture that will last for many years, and which will age with grace.