Danish Modern Sculpted Oak & Teak Arm Chair by Arne-Hovmand Olsen

Throughout the 1950s and ‘60s, Arne Hovmand-Olsen created furnishings that boasted all of the alluring qualities now associated with vintage Scandinavian modern design. The esteemed Danish designer favored high-quality teak, oak and rosewood for his sideboards, chairs and dining tables. Elsewhere, Hovmand-Olsen’s side tables and credenzas feature elegant organic curves and tapered legs, while his graceful armchairs and dining chairs are characterized by slender frames and sculptural seat backs.

From an early age Hovmand-Olsen showed an interest in drawing and an aptitude for design. In 1938, he began his apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker under Peder Olsen Sibast, the founder of Sibast furniture company. Owing largely to the creative direction of Peder’s son, designer Helge Sibast, during the mid-century era, the manufacturer is internationally revered today for its wide range of sleek and collectible modern furniture. 

In 1941, Hovmand-Olsen enrolled in a technical school to study furniture design, and opened his own workshop shortly after graduating. He created a range of furnishings for such notable manufacturers as Mogens Kold Møbelfabrik, Elven Geertsen and Jutex. He found success in Denmark, but attained even greater notability when he began selling his work in America.

Mid-century-era design from this region of the world — including objects like Arne Jacobsen’s Egg chair, Alvar Aalto’s undulating Savoy vase and Tapio Wirkkala’s leaf-shaped birch-laminate tray — took off in the States after the Second World War, when Scandinavia’s simple, curvilinear wooden furniture, home goods and textiles suddenly seemed the perfect foil for glass-and-steel skyscrapers.

Hovmand-Olsen closed his workshop during the 1970s. Today his work is widely collected by enthusiasts of mid-century Scandinavian modern furniture.

Find vintage Arne Hovmand-Olsen seating, tables, storage pieces and other furniture on 1stDibs.

Danish architect-designer Arne Wahl Iversen can be counted among a significant number of Mid-Century Modern Scandinavian designers whose works, despite a scarcity of biographical information, are experiencing a surge in popularity in the 21st century. From sources such as catalogs, advertisements, and labeled furniture, we can deduce that Wahl Iversen was a prolific designer active throughout the 1950s and 1960s. His designs were produced by a wide variety of small and large Danish manufacturers, including Komfort, Vinde Møbelfabrik, Jørgensen & Nissen, Brenderup Møbelfabrik, Hans Hansen, Kolds Savvaerk and Falster Møbelfabriken. His portfolio expanded from seating options to encompass a wide range of furniture, such as secretaries, dining tables, liquor cabinets, desks and dressing tables, with materials and aesthetics in line with the Danish modern style.