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.
Set of 10 Hans Wegner Model W1 Oak Dining Chairs, 1950s
By Hans J. Wegner, C.M. Madsen
Located in London, England
Hans Wegner - Model W1 Dining Chairs A set of 10 Model W1 dining chairs designed by Danish master Hans Wegner in the early 1950s. This design was produced by cabinetmakers C. M. Ma...
Leather, Oak
Set of 8 Hans Wegner W2 Oak and Leather Dining Chairs
Located in London, England
Hans Wegner - Model W2 Dining Chairs, 1953 A set of 8 Model W2 dining chairs designed by Danish master Hans J. Wegner in 1953 and produced by cabinetmakers C. M. Madsen in Haarby, D...
Leather, Oak
Set of 4 Hans Wegner Model W1 Oak Dining Chairs, 1950s
By Hans J. Wegner, C.M. Madsen
Located in London, England
Hans Wegner - Model W1 Dining Chairs A set of 4 Model W1 dining chairs designed by Danish master Hans Wegner and produced by cabinetmakers C. M. Madsen in Denmark. The beautifully ...
Leather, Oak
Set of 6 Niels Møller Model 77 Dining Chairs, 1959
By Niels Otto Møller, J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik
Located in London, England
Niels Moller - Model 77 dining chairs, 1959 A set of 6 solid rosewood dining chairs designed by Niels O. Moller for J.L. Moller Mobelfabrik, Denmark in 1959. Produced c1960s. The se...
Papercord, Rosewood
Set of 8 Kai Kristiansen Rosewood Model 31 Dining Chairs 1950s
By Kai Kristiansen
Located in London, England
Kai Kristiansen - Model 31 Dining Chairs A set of 8 dining chairs produced by Skovman Andersen Mobelfabrik in the early 1960s and designed by master of Danish mid-century design: Ka...
Wool, Bouclé, Rosewood
Set of 8 Niels Møller Model 77 Dining Chairs, 1959
By J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik, Niels Otto Møller
Located in London, England
Niels Moller - Model 77 dining chairs, 1959 A set of 8x solid rosewood dining chairs designed by Niels O. Moller for J.L. Moller Mobelfabrik, Denmark in 1959. Produced c1960s. The s...
Papercord, Rosewood
Set of 9 CH-30 Chairs in Oak and Wool by Hans Wegner, 1954
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
This set of nine dining chairs, model CH-30, designed by Hans J. Wegner and produced by Carl Hansen & Søn in Denmark, represents a quintessential expression of Danish modernism—r...
Wool, Oak
Set of eight John Vedel Rieper Dining Chairs in oak and cane, 1962
By John Vedel-Rieper, Hans J. Wegner, Børge Mogensen
Located in Berlin, DE
A beautiful set of eight dining chairs, designed by John Vedel Rieper and manufactured by Källemo, Denmark 1962. These beautiful chairs come in a special version with a cane mesh in...
Cane, Oak
Set of 8 W2 Dining Chairs by Hans J Wegner
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in San Francisco, CA
A set of eight W2 oak dining chairs featuring an inset black upholstered seat and tapered legs. Stamped C M Madsens, made in Denmark, Hans J Wegner.
Upholstery, Oak
Hans Wegner, Dining Room Chairs, Oak, Fabric, Denmark, 1960s
Located in High Point, NC
A set of six rare oak and blue fabric dining room or side chairs designed by Hans Wegner and produced by Carl Hansen & Søn, Denmark, c. 1960s. Minor wear to fabric and wood fram...
Fabric, Oak
Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen “The Chair” Dining Chairs Set of Six in Oak 1960
By Johannes Hansen, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Chicago, IL
Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen “The Chair” Dining Chairs Set of Six in Oak 1960 Also known as “The Round Chair,” this iconic design is celebrated for its sculptural continuous arm a...
Cane, Oak
1960s Set of Eight Dining Chairs in Oak by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Son
By Hans J. Wegner, Carl Hansen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a fine set of eight CH23 Dining Chairs in oak and paper cord, initially designed by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen in 1950. These particular examples date to the 1960s. The roll...
Oak, Papercord
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.
