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.
Airport Chair, Model Ap-38, by Hans J. Wegner and A.P. Stolen, 1960s
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in Lejre, DK
The airport chair, model AP-38, designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1958 and manufactured by A.P. Stolen in the 1960s, is a classic and iconic piece of furniture in the mid-century modern ...
Leather
Set Of 4 "Airport-Chairs" Model AP37 By Hans J. Wegner From 1960s
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in Lejre, DK
The set of four "Airport-Chairs," model AP37, designed by Hans J. Wegner and manufactured by AP Stolen in the 1950s, is a stunning and iconic collection of chairs. Hans J. Wegner, a...
Chrome
Series Seven Chair Model 3207 With Armrests By Arne Jacobsen For Fritz Hansen
By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in Lejre, DK
The Seven Chair, model 3207, designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955 and manufactured by Fritz Hansen, is a quintessential piece of Danish design. This chair is renowned for its ergonomic ...
Metal
Kastrup Chair In Cognac Leather Model AP40 By Hans J. Wegner
By Carl Hansen & Søn, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Lejre, DK
The AP40 lounge chair, designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1958, is a remarkable part of the minimalist Kastrup series, which is still in use in the welcoming interior of Copenhagen Airpor...
Leather
Lounge Chair Model PK22 Made In Walnut Elegance Leather By Poul Kjærholm
By Fritz Hansen, Poul Kjærholm
Located in Lejre, DK
The lounge chair PK22, designed by Poul Kjærholm in 1956 and manufactured by Fritz Hansen. This iconic chair is upholstered in exclusive walnut elegance leather of the highest qualit...
Steel
Series Seven Chair Model 3207 Made In Cognac Leather By Arne Jacobsen From 2000s
By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in Lejre, DK
This Seven Chair, model 3207, designed by Arne Jacobsen and made by Fritz Hansen, is a beautiful example of contemporary Danish design. Originally designed in 1955, the Seven Chair i...
Leather
Danish Lounge Chair The Airport Chair by Hans Wegner, 1950’s
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in London, GB
This iconic Danish lounge chair, designed by Hans Wegner in 1958 for AP Stolen is known as the Airport Chair (AP 39), originally created for the lounge areas of Copenhagen Kastrup Ai...
Chrome
Airport Chair by Hans Wegner for A.P. Stolen
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1960s. Denmark. Reupholstered in Belgian daisy yellow boucle. Refoamed. Designed for Copenhagen airport.
Bouclé
1960s Danish Hans J. Wegner Airport Chair Reupholstered in Color of Choice
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in Knebel, DK
Hans Wegner AP38 'Airport' chair by A.P. Stolen. The exceptional modern chair. of it´s time was originally designed in 1958, on tubular-steel frames. Seats will be reupholstered in ...
Steel
1960s Pair of Hans Wegner AP38 Airport Chairs by A.P. Stolen of Denmark
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a pair of 'Airport' Chairs, Model AP38, designed by Hans J. Wegner for A.P. Stolen in 1958. The design is named after Copenhagen's Kastrup Airport, though it was not specific...
Steel
Pair of Hans J Wegner Airport Side Chairs by A.P. Stolen, Restored
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in Oakland, CA
Pair of 1950s Hans J Wegner "Airport" side chairs produced by A.P. Stolen in Denmark. A sleek design in the International Style, metal accents on the sides with graceful brushed chro...
Chrome
1960s Hans J. Wegner Airport Lounge Chairs for A.P. Stolen, Set of 4
By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. Stolen
Located in Praha, CZ
- Model AP37 - Good original condition - Good original upholstery with some sign of use like fading of color.
Iron
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.
