Best known for his chairs and other seating pieces — though a master of many furniture types like sofas and tables — Hans Wegner was a prolific designer whose elegant, often ebullient, forms and devotion to the finest methods in joinery made "Danish Modern" a popular byword for stylish, well-made furniture in the mid-20th century.
Wegner considered himself a carpenter first and a furniture designer second. Like his peers Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl, Wegner believed that striking aesthetics in furniture were based on a foundation of practicality: a chair must be comfortable and sturdy before it is chic.
In keeping with that tenet, several of Hans Wegner’s best chair designs have their roots in traditional seating forms. The Peacock chair (designed in 1947) is a throne-like adaptation of the Windsor chair; pieces from the China chair series (begun in 1944) as well as the 1949 Wishbone chair, with its distinctive Y-shaped back splat, are derived from 17th-century Ming seating pieces, as is the upholstered Ox chair (1960). Wegner’s comfy Papa Bear chair (1951) is an almost surreally re-scaled English wingback chair.
Wegner’s most representative piece, the Round chair (1949), gained a footnote in political history when it was used on the TV stage of the first Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960. That chair, along with Wegner’s more bravura designs — for example, the 1963 Shell chair, with its curved surfboard-shaped seat — bring a quietly sculptural presence to a room.
Wegner was a designer who revered his primary material — wood — and it shows. His wood gathers patina and character with age; every Hans Wegner piece testifies to the life it has led.
Find vintage Hans Wegner lounge chairs, armchairs, daybeds and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Hans Wegner GE6 Daybed Sofa for GETAMA
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Low sofa with lifting backrest to open to a daybed. Designed by Hans Wegner with simple mid-century lines and construction. Please confirm location.
Fabric
$4,640Sale Price|20% Off
H 30 in W 77 in D 34 in
Danish Mid-Century Modern Daybed Sofa by Hans Wegner for Getma
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in New York, NY
Iconic Danish Mid-Century Modern daybed, sofa - model GE- 258 designed by Hans Wegner for Getma. This example is in very good, estate condition, specifically the fabric shows wear, s...
Upholstery, Teak
Hans J. Wegner GE 270 Teak Sofa for GETAMA
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Norwalk, CT
An exceptional example of Danish Modern design, the GE-270 sofa was designed by Hans J. Wegner for Getama in the 1950s. Renowned for its clean architectural lines and uncompromising ...
Teak
Hans Wegner GE258 Sofa Bed for Getama, 1950s
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Kampen, NL
Designed by Hans Wegner for Getama in the 1950s, the GE258 is a versatile Danish sofa that can easily be transformed into a bed. Made from solid oak, it features Wegner’s characteris...
Fabric, Oak
Hans J. Wegner Sofa Model GE-290/3, 1950
By GETAMA, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Los Angeles, CA
wonderful Danish three-seat sofa, model GE290/3 designed by Hans J. Wegner for GETAMA, 1950, with a clean solid oak frame and original spring loaded cushions with a later date dark r...
Wool, Oak
Hans J. Wegner Sofa Model GE-290/2, 1950
By GETAMA, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Los Angeles, CA
wonderful Danish two-seat sofa, model GE290/2 designed by Hans J. Wegner for GETAMA, 1950, with a solid oak frame and original spring loaded cushions with patterned upholstery (from ...
Oak, Upholstery
$2,116Sale Price|33% Off
H 31.89 in W 74.02 in D 29.14 in
Wonderful Danish Sofa Attributed to Hans Wegner
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Munich, DE
Elegant oak base. Very light construction.
Oak
Early Daybed GE-258 by Hans Wegner 1950s / New Upholstery
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Handewitt, DE
Daybed GE-258 in oak by Hans J. Wegner for Getama. Designed in 1954. Early production with firm mattress. New upholstered with Kvadrat fabric in petrol green.
Fabric, Oak
$3,528Sale Price|21% Off
H 26.78 in W 77.56 in D 34.65 in
Very Early and Rare Richard Stein Daybed for Knoll
By Richard Stein
Located in Munich, DE
Birch plywood with upholstered backrest and loose seat cushion, original finish to wood, reupholstered, foot pedal releases back which retracts to form a large sleeping surface.
Birch
Sofa by Hans J. Wegner
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Copenhagen, DK
AP 20S - sofa in oak and new textile in Vidar 3 (colour 323 and cushion in colour 333). Hans J. Wegner / AP Stolen.
Oak
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
If anyone is brave, humble and adept enough to recolor these mid-century masterpieces, it’s Ilse Crawford. Here, she gives us the details on her five earthy paint choices and tells us how she feels about design collaborations.
