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.
$5,406
H 28.75 in W 70.87 in D 36.23 in
Hans J. Wegner Model 290 Three-Seat Sofa, Oak & Wool, Mid-Century
By Hans J. Wegner, GETAMA
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner three-seat sofa made of solid soap treated oak. New upholstered with Hallingdal 130 from Kvadrat Model 290, made by GETAMA.
Wool, Oak
$5,406
H 28.75 in W 70.87 in D 36.23 in
Hans J. Wegner Model 290 Three-Seat Sofa, Oak & Wool, Mid-Century
By Hans J. Wegner, GETAMA
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner three-seat sofa made of solid soap treated oak. New upholstered with yellow fabric. Model 290, made by GETAMA.
Wool, Oak
$5,876
H 30.71 in W 92.52 in D 29.14 in
Hans J. Wegner Model 235/4 Sofa, Wool Upholstery, Oak Frame, Denmark
By GETAMA, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner four-seat sofa new upholstered with Halligdal wool from Kvadrat Frame in solid soap treated oak. Model 235/4, produced by GETAMA.
Wool, Oak
$5,406
H 28.75 in W 70.87 in D 36.23 in
Hans J. Wegner Model 290 Three-Seat Sofa, Oak & Wool, Mid-Century
By GETAMA, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner three-seat sofa made of solid soap treated oak. New upholstered with Hallingdal 180 from Kvadrat Model 290, made by GETAMA.
Wool, Oak
$5,406
H 28.75 in W 70.87 in D 36.23 in
Hans J. Wegner Model 290 Three-Seat Sofa, Oak & Boucle, Circa 1970
By GETAMA, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner three-seat sofa made of solid soap treated oak. New upholstered with boucle. Model 290, made by GETAMA.
Wool, Oak
Hans. J.Wegner 3-Seater Sofa GE236
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Shibuya-ku, 13
Hans J. Wegner. It is said that he designed over 500 chairs during his lifetime, making him one of the most influential masters in the history of Danish furniture design. Among his w...
Fabric, Oak
$5,818
H 30.32 in W 72.05 in D 32.68 in
Danish Design Classsic GE 290 Three Seater Sofa by Hans Wegner for GETAMA, 1960s
By GETAMA, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Renens, CH
One of the most recognized designs by Hans Wegner and probably the whole danish mid-century modern period is the GE 290 sofa and arm chair produced by Getama. The 290 series is recog...
Wool, Oak
Hans J. Wegner, Three-Seat Sofa, Model 240, Oak, wool, 1970s
By GETAMA, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner three-seat sofa made of solid oak. New upholstered with 100% New Zealand wool. Model 240, made by GETAMA.
Fabric, Oak
$5,289
H 30.71 in W 83.47 in D 31.89 in
Hans J. Wegner Model 236/3 Three-Seat Sofa, Oak & Bouclé, Denmark
By Hans J. Wegner, GETAMA
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner three-seat sofa new upholstered with Boucle. Frame in solid oak. Model 236/3, produced by GETAMA.
Oak, Bouclé
$7,522
H 30.71 in W 92.92 in D 31.5 in
Hans J. Wegner Model 236/4 Sofa, Oak Frame, Aniline Leather, 1960s
By Hans J. Wegner, GETAMA
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner four-seat sofa new upholstered with pure aniline leather. Original Epeda cushions. Frame in solid oak. Model 236/4, produced by GETAMA.
Leather, Oak
Three Seater Sofa, Model AP 18S, Designed by Hans J. Wegner, 1960s
By A.P. Stolen, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Lejre, DK
The three-seater sofa, Model AP 18S, upholstered in green wool fabric and with dark wood legs, was designed by the Danish architect Hans J. Wegner in 1960. Wegner, known for his uniq...
Wool, Wood
2 Seater Sofa Model 118 Made With a Teak Frame By Grete Jalk From 1960s
By Grete Jalk
Located in Lejre, DK
This 2-seater sofa from around the 1960s is a rare beauty designed by Grete Jalk and manufactured by France & Søn in Denmark. It is made of beautiful teak wood and has newly upholste...
Teak
3 pers. Sofa Made In Rosewood By Hans Olsen Made By Brdr. Juul K. From 1960s
By Hans Olsen, Juul Kristensen
Located in Lejre, DK
This elegant 3-seater sofa combines luxury with comfort and functionality. Crafted from solid rosewood and upholstered with black leather cushions, this sofa offers a sophisticated a...
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-Century Modern Three Seater Sofa in Teak with Black Leather by Arne Vodder
By Komfort, Arne Vodder
Located in Lejre, DK
The three-seater sofa in teak and black leather, designed by Arne Vodder and manufactured by Komfort in 1960, is an impressive piece of furniture that exudes Scandinavian elegance an...
Leather, Teak
Mayor Sofa Model AJ5 By Arne Jacobsen & Flemming Lassen From 1990s
By Arne Jacobsen, Flemming Lassen
Located in Lejre, DK
The Mayor sofa, model AJ5, is a beautiful and iconic piece of furniture designed by Arne Jacobsen and Flemming Lassen in 1939. The sofa is known for its ele...
Wool, Oak
Three-Seat Sofa, Model 303, Designed by Andreas Hansen, 1979
By Andreas Hansen, Brdr. Andersen
Located in Lejre, DK
The three-seat sofa, model 303, designed by Andreas Hansen in 1979 and manufactured by Brdr. Andersen furniture factory, is a timeless piece of furniture that reflects the design sen...
Leather, 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.
