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.
Bruno Mathsson "Maria Flap" Teak & Beech Dining Table for Karl Mathsson
By Bruno Mathsson, Karl Mathsson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dimensions: 28.50in H x 58in - 110in W x 35.50in D Period Style: Swedish Modern Materials: Walnut Wood, Beech Wood, Brass Hardware ________________________________________ Transform...
Brass
Folke Ohlsson Model-452 Expanding Walnut Dining Table for Dux
By Folke Ohlsson, Dux of Sweden
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dimensions: 29in H x 72in - 108in W x 42in D 2x Extension Leaf 18in ________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing h...
Wood, Walnut
Expertly Restored - Danish Modern Expanding Teak Dining Table with Draw-Leaves
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Adorable Danish Modern teak dining table manufactured and designed in Denmark circa 1960s. Made from a solid teak wood base, this exemplary Mid-Century design features two draw leave...
Teak, Wood
Expertly Restored-MidCentury Modern Butterfly-Leaf Dining Table by Peter Hayward
By Peter Hayward, Vanson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Materials: African Teak Wood, Walnut Wood Dimensions: 28in H x 64in - 76in W x 34in D ________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture i...
Wood, Teak, Walnut
Danish Modern Expanding Teak Dining Table by Faarup Mobelfabrik
By Faarup Møbelfabrik
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dimensions: 28.50in H x 68in W - 105in W x 35.50in D 2x Extension Leaf 18.50in ________________________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern ...
Teak, Wood
Expertly Restored - Mid-Century Modern Teak Expanding Draw-Leaf Dining Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dimensions: 29.25in H x 55in W - 98in W x 34.50in D 2x Extension Leaf 21.50in _____________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing his...
Wood, Teak
Hans J. Wegner Dining Table Model AT 318 In Rosewood For Andreas Tuck From 1960s
By Andreas Tuck Møbelfabrik, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Lejre, DK
Hans J. Wegner dining table model AT 318 in rosewood with brushed steel frame. An rare early model made by Andreas Tuck, with brand mark. Fully restored.
Steel
Large Extendable Hans Wegner Dining Table in Rosewood, Denmark
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Berlin, DE
Large dining table designed by Hans Wegner and manufactured in Denmark. Beautiful Rosewood top and elegant base with chromed legs. The table can be extended up to a width of 260cm. ...
Chrome
Dining Table in Rosewood and Steel by Hans Wegner, 1960s
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Dining Table in Rosewood and Steel by Hans Wegner, 1960s Additional Information: Material: Rosewood and steel Style: midcentury, Scandinavian Produced by cabinetmaker Johannes ...
Steel
Dining Table With Leaves Model AT 319 In Rosewood & Steel Legs By Hans J. Wegner
By Andreas Tuck Møbelfabrik, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Lejre, DK
An original dining table model AT 319 by Hans J. Wegner for Andreas Tuck. Rio rosewood with steel legs and 2 extension leaves. Danish design from the 1960s. — Designer: Hans J. Wegn...
Steel
Dining Table, Model AT-319, in Rosewood and Steel by Hans J. Wegner, 1960s
By Hans J. Wegner, Andreas Tuck
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Dining Table, Model AT-319, in Rosewood and Steel by Hans J. Wegner, 1960s Additional Information: Material: Rosewood and chromed steel Style: Mid Century, Scandinavian Dining Table...
Steel
Hans Wegner for Andreas Tuck AT-318 dining table in teak 2 extensions
By Andreas Tuck, Hans J. Wegner
Located in PARIS, FR
Mid century Danish dining table with a full of grain teak top (and 2 extensions) by the great designer Hans Wegner, in the original edition executed by cabinetmake Andreas Tuck (sign...
Stainless Steel
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.
