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.
Chest of Drawers Model 146 Designed by Carl-Axel Acking, Sweden 1940s
By Carl-Axel Acking
Located in Stockholm, SE
Chest of drawers model 146 designed by Carl-Axel Acking for Svenska Möbelfabriken, Sweden, 1940s. Elm with alder root drawers, brass. Marked "SM No. 146" Measurements: H: 94 cm/ ...
Elm
Chest of drawers from the 'Triva' series designed for Nordiska Kompaniet, Sweden
Located in Stockholm, SE
Chest of drawers from the “Triva” series designed for Nordiska Kompaniet, Sweden, 1950s. This minimalist Scandinavian piece reflects the refined functionality and balanced aesthetics...
Metal
Cabinet designed by Ib Kofod-Larsen, Denmark, 1960s
By Ib Kofod-Larsen
Located in Stockholm, SE
Cabinet designed by Ib Kofod-Larsen, Denmark, 1960s. Teak. Marked. Dimensions: H: 81 cm /2' 8'' W: 91 cm / 2' 11 3/4'' D: 48 cm / 19''
Teak
Mid-Century Danish Cabinet – 1950s Pine Design with Drawers and File Slots
Located in Stockholm, SE
Cabinet, anonymous, Denmark, 1950s. Oregon pine. This charming piece is an exquisite example of Danish cabinetmaking. The visible corner joints and the stretcher’s through mortise...
Pine
Sideboard 'Model FA 66' designed by Ib Kofod-Larsen, Denmark, 1960s
By Ib Kofod-Larsen
Located in Stockholm, SE
The clean lines of Ib Kofod-Larsen’s Model FA 66 in rosewood make it a notable Scandinavian mid-century collectable. Remarkably, it appears as if the elegant body balances on a separ...
Rosewood
Rosewood dresser Designed by Henning Korch for CFC Silkeborg Denmark, 1960s
By Henning Korch
Located in Stockholm, SE
This dresser was designed by Henning Korch for the cabinetmaker C.F. Christensen in Silkeborg. It is constructed in rosewood with expressive palisander veneer creating a continuous s...
Brass
Vintage Chest of Drawers in Teak by Hans Wegner for Ry Möbler
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Vintage 4 drawer chest of drawers in teak by Hans Wegner for RY Möbler. This model hails from the RY100 series and features aluminum ...
Metal
Hans Wegner RY 16 chest of drawers, Ry Mobler, Denmark, 1960s
By Ry Møbler, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
Elegant six-drawer cabinet in teak veneer Model Ry 16, design by Hans J. Wegner, produced by Ry Møbler, Denmark, 1950s The purity of lines and the perfect balance of proportions imm...
Teak
Scandinavian Modern Hans J. Wegner "RY" Chest of drawers in Oakwood, 1962
By Hans J. Wegner, Ry Møbler
Located in Odense, DK
A beautifully crafted example of mid-century Danish design, this early “RY” chest of drawers by Hans J. Wegner reflects his talent for combining practicality with a clean, understa...
Oak
Mid-Century Modern Commode by Hans J. Wegner, Teak & Steel, 1965
By Ry Møbler, Hans J. Wegner
Located in PARIS, FR
On retrouve parfaitement l’élégance et la simplicité du design d’Hans Wegner dans cette commode qu’il crée en 1965 et qui est réalisée ici en teck avec les sabots de pieds en bois fo...
Steel
Midcentury chest of drawers by Børge Mogensen, Sweden, 1960s
By Børge Mogensen
Located in Eskilstuna, SE
Chest of drawers designed by Børge Mogensen and produced by Karl Andersson & Söner in Sweden during the 1960s. Made in oak and teak. Frame and legs in oak with beautiful teak-drawe...
Oak, Teak
1960s Chest of drawers, Kai Kristiansen
By FM Møbler, Kai Kristiansen
Located in Neuss, NW
Wonderful chest of drawers from Kai Kristiansen for F.M. Mobler from the 1960s. Corpus in teak veneer with four drawers and straight feet. Quality Features: accomplished design...
Teak
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.
