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.
$15,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 37.25 in W 20 in D 21 in
Hans J. Wegner Valet Chair, Oak & Teak, Mid-Century Modern, 1953
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Model JH-540 Valet chair by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen. This gorgeous piece of mid century design is as functional as it as beautiful. The seat folds up to create a rack fo...
Brass
$52,298
H 37.01 in W 20.08 in D 19.69 in
Valet Chair Model 540 Designed by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Jansen, Denmark
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Stockholm, SE
Valet chair model 540 designed by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Jansen, Denmark, 1953. Teak, oak and brass. Stamped. H: 94 cm W: 51 cm D: 50 cm SH: 44.5 cm Hans J. Wegn...
Brass
A Vintage Hans Wegner Oak Valet Chair By Johannes Hansen
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A rare and highly sculptural original Hans Wegner valet chair. Manufactured by Johannes Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark and imported and sold by Knoll. This version made entirely of soli...
Brass
$18,759
H 29.34 in W 23.04 in D 17.72 in
Scandinavian Modern JH-505 Cowhorn Chair in Teak and Cane by Hans Wegner, 1952
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
The rare armchair model JH-505, also known as the Cowhorn Chair, was designed in 1952 by Hans J. Wegner and produced by master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen in Denmark. It is one of W...
Cane, Teak
The JH 250 Valet Chair by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen, 1953
Located in Sagaponack, NY
Iconic Wegner JH 250 'Valet' chair executed in solid oak and teak. The shaped crest rail sitting above a leaf shaped back acts as a shirt hangar while the hinged seat opens forward t...
Wood
$8,527
H 29.93 in W 24.81 in D 20.48 in
Hans Wegner Armchair Model Jh-501 / the Chair by Johannes Hansen in Denmark
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare armchair model JH-501 / the chair designed by Hans Wegner. Produced by Johannes Hansen in Denmark.
Cane, Teak
$14,500 / item
H 29 in W 23 in D 16.5 in
Teak Cow Horn Chair by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen, 1952
By Hans J. Wegner, Johannes Hansen
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A rare teak Danish modern dining chair with a splined backrest and a natural cane seat. Model JH-505 was designed in 1952 by Hans J. Wegner and produced i...
Cane, Teak
Oak and Leather Armchair by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen
By Hans J. Wegner, Johannes Hansen
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An oak armchair having an exposed frame with a gently curved seat and back wrapped in leather.
Leather, Oak
$2,899
H 27.96 in W 23.23 in D 18.51 in
Hans Wegner PP203 office chair in solid oak, original from the 1950s
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Scandinavian chair, model “PP203,” from the first edition by Danish designer Hans J. Wegner. Solid oak frame and original leather seat. Simple, elegant lines typical of Scandinavian ...
Oak
$12,790
H 29.93 in W 24.81 in D 18.9 in
Midcentury Modern "The Chair" in teak by Hans J. Wegner, Denmark, 1950s
By Johannes Hansen, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Beautiful teak and leather “The Chair” armchair by Hans J. Wegner. Smoothly sculpted wooden details and decorative joinery. “The Chair” was designed in 1949 and quickly became a huge...
Leather, Teak
Hans Olsen Armchair Model 107, Oak Frame, Danish Design, 1960s
By Bramin Mobler, Hans Olsen
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans Olsen armchair with frame of oak. Back of teak. Seat new upholstered with lighthallingdal. Model 107, made by Bramin.
Wool, Oak, Teak
Hans J. Wegner Wishbone Chair CH24 Cushion in Cognac Leather
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner cushions for wishbone chair model CH24. Made in cognac pure aniline leather and good quality foam. Only the cushion, not the chair.
Leather
Hans J. Wegner Wishbone Chair CH24 Cushion in Cognac Leather
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner cushions for wishbone chair model CH24. Made in cognac vintage aniline leather and good quality foam. Only the cushion, not the chair.
Leather
Hans Olsen lounge chair, Model 107, Oak Frame, Danish Design, 1960s
By Bramin Mobler, Hans Olsen
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans Olsen lounge chair with frame of oak. Back of teak. Seat new upholstered with wool fabric. Model 107, made by Bramin.
Wool, Oak, Teak
Hans J. Wegner Wishbone Chair CH24 Cushion in Cognac Leather
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner cushions for wishbone chair model CH24. Made in cognac pure aniline leather and good quality foam. Only the cushion, not the chair.
Leather
Dining Chairs by Henning Kjærnulf, Model Razoblade, Denmark, Oak
By Henning Kjærnulf
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Set of striking dining chairs by Henning Kjærnulf, made of oak and honey coloured lambskin. Refreshing design with bold Baroque coming together nicely with Mid-Century Modernism. Model: Razorblade Made by Another Classic...
Oak
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.
