WEGNER / WENGÉ

Designed in 1970. Executed by cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen.

december 5th

Christopher Eric Hitchens, 1949-2011

My hero. 

O A K

Oak is probably my favourite wood. Look at the picures below and you'll see why.

This apartment belongs to the owner of Movement Design. Note the beautiful cabinet in the first picture, by Børge Mogensen, and the lamp, by Fog & Mørup. The chair hanging above it is one made for the H55 exhibition in Helsingborg by Björn Hultén. The art in the last picture is by Beck & Ljung; the bench, table and chairs are by Mogensen.

pictures by Patric Johansson/Söderberg Arkitektur

Those great-looking benches at the Roskilde Crematory reminded me of a couple of pieces of Danish design finished in blonde wood and tan leather:

A rare Ilse Rix dining set, oak, 60's.

Poul Kjaerholm's très japonais PK 27 lounge chairs and PK66 coffee table, PP Møbler, from 1971.

Kaare Klint's iconic Safari-chairs, here in ash,with a matching slate-top taple; designed 1933; produced by Rud Rasmussen.

An ash Wegner CH?? with the characteristic swivel-back, produced by Carl Hansen & Søn; I'm guessing 50's...

Lastly, these rarer leather-covered versions of Arne Jacobsen's Milano Triennale Grand Prix-winning chairs model 3130. Laminated beech legs; designed in '57; produced by Fritz Hansen.

All these pieces are available from Jackson's.

Bamsestolen, 1950

A chair that allows for a constant changing of siting-positions - Hans J. Wegner's recipe for true comfort. 

Perhaps he had ADD.

Didn't you see the sign, woman?! It's a chair for a maaan...

And by the way, it's only $395.

Here's an informative film about the chair.

A Room with a View for Improvement



A typical Stockholm apartment from the 1880's, with a fantastic Nanna Ditzel desk and a Hans J. Wegner CH-35 chair, an Poul Henningsen Artichoke lamp and a small sculpture by the great artist Lars Englund, left on the 30's mantelpiece. Nice, but sure as shit not as nice as this apartment. You got a nice collection started, and your muted palette's not bad either, but you need to throw out all the ikea shit and buy some decent furniture, like here, or here.  You know you can afford to.

pictures by Bobo Olsson

Beautiful Glass Doors

"Harpan 49" on Narvavägen 25, Stockholm. Built in 1930-31, this is one of the earliest examples of Swedish functionalist architecture. A residential building built in the affluent Östermalm area, for an affluent clienteleas seen in the fine attention to detail, such as these marvellous glass doors leading in to the great room. The yellow-sained glass is the original, he clear ones are modern replacements. They don't make 'em like they used to.

Architect: B Borgström

Comissioner: Nilsson & Bredberger

Contractor: Looström & Gelin

The original radiator-covers contain storage compartments.


interior shots from Vårt Nya Hem

Sylt House

Ad-Man Wolfgang Behnken of Young & Rubicam, whose Hamburg apartment I posted here, also owns a retreat on the island Sylt (the German equivalent of St. Tropez, Malibu, Båstad ,or what have you) - equally sparsely decorated with 20th century design icons - such as the Florence Knoll sofas, Serge Mouille lamps, and Hans J. Wegner Cowhorn-chairs along Kjaerholm tables. A rare vintage Jean Prouvé  Standard-chair  and desk is seen on the upper floor of this traditional Friezenhaus, and stacks of books and magazines are  scattered around the floor, whilst photography by superstars such as Annie Leibovitz, Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton are to be found here and there on the floor. I'll never understand it. Looks striking though, even though the palette is quite earthy.

from ELLE DECOR italia

Erik Herløw's Bungalow

Christmas was spent small fishers' hamlet Segelstorps strand, Skåne, Sweden, where in 1947 the 38-year old Danish arhitect and designer Erik Herløw, three years out of Kongelige Danske Kunstakademie and two years after staring his own firm, drew this summerhouse for clothing-magnate Harald Schlasberg.

Pictures by yours truly.

Erik Herløw went on to be a successful industrial designer, working for Georg Jensen, Royal Copenhagen, Dansk Aluminium Industri among others, being a founding member of Selskabet for Industriel Formgivning (the Danish Societ for Industrial Design) and becoming a proffessor in industrial design at the Kongelige Danske Kunstakademie between 1959 to 1979. He was also one in a long line of great designers to have worked for SAS, having designed the interior of the A-300 Airbus planes at the end of the 70's.

Today his most widely available design is the stainless steel flatware series Obelisk for Hackman.

More Red Wegners

Red Hans J. Wegner CH-24 "Wishbone-chars", or "Y-chairs as we call them in scandinavia. Not quiete as poetic. See the red vintage Wegner chairs here.

first picture from Lauritz.com

second probably an add from Carl Hansen & Søn on Dinesen Douglas fir floors

third from the home of Filippa Knutsson, from Elle interiör, via annagillar



Wright Scandinavian Design, November 18

Poul Henningsen PH4, 1932

Frits Henningsen, 1930



Bernt Petersen, 1959

Axel Salto, ca. 1940

Acton Bjørn, ca. 1950

Hans J. Wegner, 1955

Hans J. Wegner, 1960

Bodil Kjær, ca. 1960

Ib Kofod Larsen, ca. 1960

Henrik Armtorp, ca. 1950

Timo Sarpaneva, 1964

Finn Juhl, ca. 1953

Josef Frank, 1940

Ilmari Tapiovaara, 1956

Erik Höglund, ca. 1960

Poul Kjærholm, 1960

Poul Kjærholm, 1971

Johan Petter Johansson, ca. 1930

Poul Nørreklit, ca. 1970