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.
Danish Modern Coffee Table by Hans Wegner
By GETAMA, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Atlanta, GA
Danish modern coffee table by Hans Wegner for GETAMA, Denmark, circa 1960s. This table is currently being refinished. The price noted includes refinishing.
Teak
Hans Wegner Coffee Table
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in San Francisco, CA
Hans Wegner deign coffee table for Andreas Tuck, Denmark. Having a sculpted teak lip top on oak legs and supports, perfectly refinished and stamped.
Oak, Teak
Hans J. Wegner Coffee Table in Oak, Denmark
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A beautifully restrained and finely crafted coffee table by Hans J. Wegner, Denmark, 1950s. Executed in solid oak, the design reflects Wegner’s devotion to honest materials, impeccab...
Oak
Hans Wegner for Andreas Tuck Teak and Oak Coffee Table
By Andreas Tuck, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Beautiful Teak and Oak Hans Wegner coffee table for Andreas Tuck,model AT-11. features teak top with raised lip and round tapered Oak legs. Classic danish modern design. marked on un...
Oak, Teak
Coffee table Model JH 575 by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen
By Hans J. Wegner, Johannes Andersen
Located in New York, NY
Rare 1950s "JH575" coffee table with reversible top designed by Hans J. Wegner for Master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen, Denmark. Beautiful example with striking grain pattern to the ...
Oak, Teak
Rare Solid Oak Coffee Table by Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen
By Johannes Hansen, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Berkeley, CA
Origin: Denmark Designer: Hans Wegner Manufacturer: Johannes Hansen Era: 1960s Materials: Oak Measurements: 67" wide x 23.5" deep x 19.5" tall Condition: In excellent condition.
Oak
$2,895
H 15.75 in W 71 in D 19.75 in
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table by Yngve Ekstrom for Westbergs Mobler
By Yngve Ekström
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table by Yngve Ekstrom for Westbergs Mobler
Wood, Oak, Teak
$2,800
H 19 in W 73 in D 25 in
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table, Cocktail Table, Hans Wegner, Oak, Hans J Wegner
By Hans J. Wegner, Andreas Tuck
Located in Stamford, CT
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table by Hans Wegner, Oak Hans J Wegner, An oak wood coffeee table for Andreas Tuck, Denmark, Manufacturer mark on underside. Other Scandinavian designe...
Wood, Oak
$21,000
H 20 in W 67 in D 23.5 in
Rare Low cocktail/coffee table Teak & Oak by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen
By Hans J. Wegner, Johannes Hansen
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A rectangular solid teak top and oak base low table/bench/coffee table with a basin-edged top.
Oak, Teak
T-11 Coffee Table by Hans J. Wegner
By Hans J. Wegner, Andreas Tuck
Located in New York, NY
Iconic Coffee Table T-11 by Hans Wegner for Andreas Tuck, Denmark. This piece has a teak top with oak legs and marked underneath. Designed in 1954 and manufactured during the 1950s t...
Oak, 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.
