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 J Wegner The Chair Model JH501 in Teak with Original Cane Seat
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A beautiful example of Hans Wegner's timeless The Chair or Round Chair built by cabinetmaker, Johannes Hansen, in solid teak with its original cane seat. The caning is 95% intact and...
Cane, Teak
American Studio Live Edge Stool in Walnut and Maple Burl by Michael Elkan
By Michael Elkan
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A counter-height stool executed in American black walnut and with a sculptural, free edge seat in maple burl by Oregon-based craftsman, Michael Elkan. Walnut has a warm, reddish hue ...
Maple, Walnut
American Studio Craft Pair of Sculpted Walnut Stools, 1971, Signed
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A sculptural pair of American Studio Craft footstools in walnut with removable cushions by San Francisco-based woodworker, Michael Bock. One foot on each example is squared off so th...
Leather, Walnut
Charles Dudouyt Fireside Low Chair or Stool in Stained Oak with Rush Seat
By Charles Dudouyt
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A low fireside chair (chauffeuse) or stool in stained oak attributed to Charles Duduouyt, with turned, truncated cone-shaped legs floating over rece...
Straw, Rush, Oak
Harvey Probber Knights Bench in Mahogany, Brass and Leather, Signed, 1950s
By Harvey Probber
Located in Brooklyn, NY
1950s Harvey Probber 'Knights' bench, model number 1173, with arched base and slatted seat in steam-bent mahogany with brass accents, and finished with a channel-tufted cushion. Bras...
Brass
Early and Rare Evert Sodergren Sculptured Chair, c. 1955
By Evert Sodergren
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The 'Sculptured' chair was originally designed in 1953 by Pacific Northwest master craftsman and cabinetmaker, Evert Sodergren, and it is the crown jewel of his oeuvre which spanned ...
Brass
Hans Wegner, Teak stained Piano Stool, model AP-30, made by A P Stolen, 1950s
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans Wegner, Teak stained Piano Stool, model AP-30, made by A P Stolen, 1950s Wegner designed this stool as a variation of his ottoman for the Papa Bear chair, to be slightly higher...
Leather, Beech
Mid-Century Beech Stool with Brown Leather Seat, Denmark, 1950s
Located in Nørre Aaby, DK
Charming mid-century stool crafted in beech wood with original brown leather upholstery. Produced by a Danish furniture maker around the 1950s, this piece reflects the clean lines an...
Leather, Beech
AP 30 - Piano stool in oak by Hans J. Wegner
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Copenhagen, DK
AP 30 - Piano stool in oak with seat in patinated black leather. Stamped from manufacturer AP Stolen.
Leather, Oak
Hans Wegner AP-30 Oak & Leather Piano Stool c1950s
By A.P. Stolen, Hans J. Wegner
Located in London, England
Hans Wegner - AP-30 Piano Stool, 1957 Produced by A.P. Stolen in Denmark, this model was an evolution of the AP-29 Papa Bear ottoman. The rarely seen piano stool has an additional c...
Leather, Oak
Mid-Century Stool in Patinated Leather, Made in Denmark, 1960s
Located in Lejre, DK
Stool in patinated leather and rosewood frame, designed and made in Denmark.
Leather, Rosewood
Hans Wegner Teak Piano Stool c1950s
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in London, England
Hans J. Wegner - AP-30 Piano Stool Produced by A.P. Stolen in Denmark, this model is based on the AP-29 Papa Bear ottoman. The rarely seen piano stool has additional stretchers and longer legs. This example has an oiled teak frame and has been reupholstered on Pierre Frey fabric. Hans Wegner's output in the 1950s was quite remarkable, even by his own high standards. Several Danish factory producers benefited from the founding of the Salesco group - the brainchild of Wegner and entrepreneur Ejvind Kold Christensen. Several factories were selected to share Wegner's designs tailored for their specific expertise. Amongst them was A.P. Stolen, founded in 1944 at the tail end of the German occupation by upholsterer Anker Peterson in Copenhagen. Petersen was assigned Wegner best traditionally upholstered armchairs, including the era-defining Papa Bear Chair. Most of their frames were supplied on Wegner's direction by Ejnar Pedersen's workshop PP Mobler. This combination of fine upholstery and joinery workshops produced some of Wegner's most successful designs in his golden decade. The Papa Bear Chair (AP-19) was launched together with the AP-29 foot stool. Later, the AP-30 Piano stool was introduced and made in small numbers. This version added elegant stretchers and taller legs to the Papa Bear stool...
Fabric, 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.
