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.
Hans Wegner Boucle, Teak & Oak Papa Bear Chair 1950s
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in London, England
Hans J. Wegner - AP-19 Papa Bear Chair, 1952 Vintage, original 1950s production of one of Danish master Hans Wegner's most iconic designs. The Papa Bear is rightly considered one of...
Oak, Wool, Bouclé, Cotton, Teak
Hans Wegner Rosewood Papa Bear Chair in Boucle Fabric
By A.P. Stolen, Hans J. Wegner
Located in London, England
Hans J. Wegner - AP-19 Papa Bear Chair, 1953 Vintage, original 1950s production of one of Danish master Hans Wegner's most iconic designs. The Papa Bear is rightly considered one ...
Fabric, Wool, Rosewood
Hans Wegner AP-19 Papa Bear Chair in Boucle Fabric
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in London, England
Hans J. Wegner AP-19 Papa Bear chair, 1953 Vintage, original 1950s production of one of Danish master Hans Wegner's most iconic designs. The Papa Bear is rightly considered one...
Fabric, Bouclé, Teak
Hans J. Wegner Danish Oak & Teak Cigar Chair 1950s
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in London, England
Hans Wegner - Model GE-240 Cigar Chair, 1955 A model GE-240 Cigar lounge chair by Hans J. Wegner, made with oak frame and contrasting teak arms. This example has been carefully rest...
Wool, Oak, Teak
Hans Wegner Danish Oak 1950s Cigar Chair
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in London, England
Hans Wegner Cigar Chair Model GE-240 Produced by Getama in Denmark, c1950s. The Cigar chair remains one of Wegner's most effective, contemporary and popular designs. This exam...
Oak, Bouclé
Hans Wegner Rosewood Papa Bear Chair in Off-White Fabric
By A.P. Stolen, Hans J. Wegner
Located in London, England
Hans J. Wegner - AP-19 Papa Bear Chair, 1953 Vintage, original 1950s production of one of Danish master Hans Wegner's most iconic designs. The Papa Bear is rightly considered one of...
Fabric, Wool, Rosewood
Vintage "Papa Bear" Lounge Chair by Hans J. Wegner, Denmark, 1950s
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Iconic “Papa Bear” lounge chair by Hans J. Wegner, in a wide, comfortable design upholstered in light grey Kvadrat fabric. Handles with oak details at the ends.
Upholstery, Oak
Hans J. Wegner Papa Bear Chair, A. P. Stolen 1951
By Anker Pedersen, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Hans J. Wegner 'Papa Bear' chair with arms of teak and legs of oak, upholstered with light soft fabric. Designed 1951 and manufactured by A.P. Stolen, Denmark, model AP19. Very f...
Fabric, Oak, Teak
Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair by AP Stolen, 1960s.
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Asaa, DK
Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair by AP Stolen, 1960s. Fairly early Papa Bear armchair AP-19 with beech frame and legs and teak claws designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1951 for A.P. Stolen De...
Wool, Teak
Papa Bear Chair by Hans J. Wegner, Oak & Wool, Danish Modern, 1950s
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
The Papa Bear chair, model AP-19, designed by Hans J. Wegner and produced by A.P. Stolen in Denmark in the 1950s, stands as one of the most iconic and celebrated pieces of Danish mod...
Fabric, Oak, Wool
Hans Wegner for AP Stolen AP-28 Mid Century Danish Oak Mama Bear Lounge Chair
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Hans Wegner for AP Stolen AP-28 Mid Century Danish Oak Mama Bear Lounge Chair This lounge chair measures: 28.25 wide x 31 deep x 40.75 high, with a seat height of 14 and arm height/...
Upholstery, Oak
Hans J. Wegner Papa Bear Chair, 1960s
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Stockholm, SE
Newly reupholstered in fabric "Mons" from Astrid Textiles. Very good condition. Produced by A.P. Stolen in Denmark.
Sheepskin, 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.
