Much of the furniture that the Danish company Carl Hansen & Søn produces may have been originally designed in the early to mid-19th century by leading Danish architects but they are still just as relevant today.
Take the iconic chairs envisioned by pioneering Danish designer, Hans J. Wegner, whose passion for designing over 500 chairs during his lifetime is well-recognised. These were mostly organic, simplified constructions where each product is distilled to the very essence of function. Wegner is known to have said, “A chair is only finished when someone sits in it.”
The Wishbone chair – one of Wegner’s most celebrated pieces – was the first collaboration between the designer and Carl Hansen, and has been in production by the brand since 1950. Inspired by chairs from the Ming dynasty, and with clean lines and a characteristic Y-shaped back, this strong and lightweight chair looks much simpler than it is (more than 120 metres of hand-woven paper cord are used for its seat, for instance), and will be exhibited at Downtown Design
Another chair that will be exhibited is the Shell chair. And when Wegner first designed this one in 1963, it seemed ahead of its time, for it wasn’t an instant hit. It was only upon its re-introduction in 1998, that the avant-garde design was lauded by critics for its boldness.
With wing-like lines and arching curves, the upholstered (in fabric or leather) three-legged construction is still avant-garde today.
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