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 J Wegner Stacking Dining Chairs Model FH4103 / Heart for Fritz Hansen c1952
By Hans J. Wegner, Fritz Hansen
Located in Uxbridge, GB
We have for sale a rarely seen set of twelve Heart chairs designed by Hans Wegner for Fritz Hansen. These are a personal favourite of ours. Great for use with a variety of tables. T...
Teak, Plywood, Oak
Alvar Aalto Armchair Model 34, Finmar, 1st Production 1933
Located in Uxbridge, GB
This Alvar Aalto Armchair Model 34 is a timeless piece of Finnish design, created in 1933 and showcasing the elegance and innovation that made Aalto a key fig...
Fabric, Plywood
1st Production Marcel Breuer Long Chair for Isokon 1935/36 moulded bent plywood
By Isokon, Luterma, Marcel Breuer
Located in Uxbridge, GB
Marcel Breuer 'Long Chair', 1935/36 Laminated birch frame, bent plywood seat and back Width - 132cm - 52 inches Depth - 61.5cm - 24¼ inches Height - 79cm - 31 inches Seat Height (Lowest Point) 18cm - 7 inches Made by Luterma, Estonia for Isokon, UK. A rare and historically significant example of the Isokon Long Chair...
Birch, Plywood
Alvar Aalto Armchair Model 36, Finmar/P.E. Gana, 1st Production 1933
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Uxbridge, GB
This Alvar Aalto Armchair Model 36 is a timeless piece of Finnish design, created in 1933 and showcasing the elegance and innovation that made Aalto a key figure in the modernist mov...
Alpaca, Plywood
'Sphere' Lounge Chairs by Boris Tabacoff for Mobilier Modulaire Moderne 1971
By Boris Tabacoff
Located in Uxbridge, GB
Pair of ‘Sphere’ Lounge Chairs by Boris Tabacoff for Mobilier Modulaire Moderne, 1971 Iconic pair of Sphere lounge chairs designed by Boris Tabacoff for Mobilier Modulaire Moderne i...
Steel, Chrome
Pierre Jeanneret, Kangaroo Chairs & Two Seat Sofa from Chandigarh, India
By Pierre Jeanneret
Located in Uxbridge, GB
This pair of vintage Pierre Jeanneret Kangaroo chairs with matching two seat sofa are a remarkable example of mid-century modern design...
Cane, Teak
Hans Wegner Easy Chairs Model CH-28 Produced by Carl Hansen & Søn in Denmark
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare pair of easy chairs model CH-28 designed by Hans Wegner. Produced by Carl Hansen & Søn in Denmark.
Leather, Oak
Hans Wegner pair of armchairs
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Milano, IT
Hans J. Wegner (1914-2007) Pair of CH-28 Sawbuck armchairs with teak wood frame and fabric upholstery. De Padova 1960's
Wood
Hans Wegner CH22 Lounge Chairs
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Hans Wegner CH-22 Lounge Chairs Designed in 1951 and manufactured by Carl Hansen Original Paper Cord Seats Wonderful vertical spline details on curved...
Teak, Oak
Hans Wegner Sawbuck Chair
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in New York, NY
A Danish oak and leather armchair. Designed by Hans Wegner Name - Sawbuck chair Model Number - CH-28 armchair was designed by Hans Wegner in 195...
Oak, Leather
Hans Wegner Buck Lounge Chair, Model JH517
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in San Francisco, CA
Hans J. Wegner buck lounge chair, Model JH517 for Johannes Hansen. A rare model chair by the master in original finish oiled teak and newly upholstered in a cog...
Teak
Hans J Wegner Lounge Chair
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in San Francisco, CA
Hans J Wegner design oak and teak lounge chair model JH-713 for Johannes Hansen, Denmark. Simple elegance combined with high quality construction and restorations make for the perfe...
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.
