Danish manufacturer France & Søn is best known for its prolific output of elegant mid-century modern furnishings in teak and leather, yet its multinational beginnings took shape during the 1930s.
After businessman Charles William Fearnley France (1897–1972) moved from his native England to Denmark in 1936, he began to operate a small mattress factory alongside his friend Eric Daverkosen, a Danish cabinetmaker, under the name France & Daverkosen. Shortly afterward, Daverkosen passed away, and when Denmark was invaded during the Second World War, Charles was captured and sent to a prison camp in Germany. When he was released, the British entrepreneur set out to produce furniture in the early 1950s, setting up a shop in Hillerød to manufacture the kind of sleek beech and teak goods that were gaining widespread acclaim around the world. In 1957, France’s son James joined the business, and the company changed its name to reflect the addition.
Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, France & Søn produced a stunning array — and staggering quantity — of designs, with elegant modernist lounge chairs and armchairs, teak and rosewood dining tables and other furnishings by the likes of Finn Juhl, Grete Valk, Ole Wanscher, Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen all gracing its catalogues.
Even as there was a focus on mass production at France & Søn — and the brand doesn’t quite enjoy the same renown as fellow mid-century Danish furniture makers such as Carl Hansen & Søn — Charles France believed in making quality furniture, and the company’s offerings evoke the warmth of the handcrafted work that is typically associated with Scandinavian modernism.
In the 1960s, the company was bought by Danish designer Poul Cadovius, who folded it into the operations at CADO, a company he founded during the 1950s. Surviving examples of early work from the brand as well as modern icons by the likes of Verner Panton that followed in later years continue to be in demand.
Find a collection of France & Søn furniture on 1stDibs.
Danish Mid-Century Compact Dining Table
Located in Paddock Wood Tonbridge, GB
Mid-Century Dining Table A superb Danish mid-century modern dining table in richly figured rosewood, featuring two concealed pull-out extension leaves. Designed circa 1960s, this ele...
Rosewood
Mid-Century Danish Rosewood Dining Table with Butterfly Leaf, 1960s
Located in Paddock Wood Tonbridge, GB
Mid-Century Danish Dining Table A beautifully proportioned mid-century Danish dining table crafted in richly figured Rosewood, dating to the 1960s. Elegant, versatile, and thoughtful...
Rosewood
Italian Mid-Century Console Table in Chestnut and Zebrano c.1950
Located in Paddock Wood Tonbridge, GB
Mid-Century Console Table A beautifully proportioned Italian Mid-Century Modern console table dating from the 1950s, crafted in warm chestnut with striking Zebrano crossbanding to th...
Chestnut
Mid-Century Italian Console Table by Vittorio Dassi
By Dassi
Located in Paddock Wood Tonbridge, GB
Mid-Century Italian Console Table This elegant mid-century Italian console table is attributed to Vittorio Dassi, showcasing refined proportions and beautifully judged materials typi...
Teak
French Art Deco Dining Table in Amboyna, Circa 1925
Located in Paddock Wood Tonbridge, GB
Art Deco Dining Table An elegant French Art Deco dining table dating to circa 1925, crafted in richly figured red Amboyna with a warm, lustrous tone throughout. The rectangular top ...
Amboyna
Mid-Century Solid Sycamore Live Edge Coffee Table
Located in Paddock Wood Tonbridge, GB
A beautifully crafted solid sycamore coffee table, showcasing a dramatic live edge top and warm, organic grain. The freeform tabletop sits on four tapered legs in classic mid-century...
Sycamore
Hvidt & Molgaard Nielsen HM6 Drop Leaf Dining Table for France & Son, Denmark.
By Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter Hvidt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This beautiful 1960s Danish drop-leaf dining table, Model HM6, designed by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, for France & Søn, Denmark is a standout example of Scandinavian mode...
Brass
Mid-Century Modern Teak Drop-Leaf Dining Table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This elegant MCM Modern dining table features a rich teak grain and a versatile drop-leaf design, perfect for optimizing smaller spaces. Supported by a classic split-gateleg base, th...
Teak
Mid-Century Modern Teak Folding Dining Table by Hvidt and Mølgaard Nielsen Model
By France & Søn, Hvidt & Mølgaard
Located in Courbevoie, FR
Mid-Century Modern folding dining table model 20/59 by Hvidt and Mølgaard Nielsen in solid teak. Edited by France & Son. Special edition for Illums Bolighus. Referenced by the Design...
Teak
Teak Dining Table by Edvard Valentinsen, Denmark, 1960s
Located in Chicago, IL
The grain on this table is the first thing you notice, richly figured teak with that warm amber depth that only comes with age and the right wood. Valentinsen built this for Funiture...
Teak
Vintage Danish Teak Drop Leaf Extension Dining Table by Borge Mogensen
By Børge Mogensen
Located in San Jose, CA
Mid century modern expandable console dining table in teak and oak designed by Børge Mogensen, Denmark. This clever design is accented ...
Brass
Dining Table Made In Teak With Extensions, Danish Design From 1960s
Located in Lejre, DK
This Danish-designed dining table from the 1960s, crafted from teak, exemplifies the era's aesthetic of sleek sophistication and functionality. With its warm teak hue and elegant si...
Teak
