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 CH22 Lounge Chairs
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Hans Wegner CH-22 Lounge Chairs Designed in 1951 and manufactured by Carl Hansen Original Paper Cord Seats Wonderful vertical spline details on curved...
Teak, Oak
Hans Wegner Sawbuck Lounge Chairs Model CH28
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Uxbridge, GB
An iconic pair of lounge chairs from Danish designer Hans J Wegner, the Sawbuck Lounge Chair, is a timeless classic that beautifully combines form, function, and craftsmanship. Produ...
Hide, Beech, Teak
$16,900 / set
H 28 in W 27.5 in D 21 in
Vintage Pair Of Hans Wegner CH22 Lounge Chairs From Denmark, Circa 1960
Located in Nashville, TN
Vintage Pair Of Hans Wegner CH22 Lounge Chairs From Denmark, Circa 1960. Solid oak frame with paper cord seats. Nice patina and use.
Oak
$17,650 / set
H 30.32 in W 28.75 in D 25.99 in
Hans Wegner Easy Chairs Model CH-28 Produced by Carl Hansen & Søn in Denmark
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare pair of easy chairs model CH-28 designed by Hans Wegner. Produced by Carl Hansen & Søn in Denmark.
Leather, Oak
$16,000Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 27 in W 27.75 in D 24 in
Hans J. Wegner CH 22 Lounge Chairs for Carl Hansen & Søn., Oak & Papercord, 1951
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of iconic 1950s CH 22 lounge chairs created by Danish designer Hans J. Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn. Elegant low armchairs with envelope weaved paper cord seats and beauti...
Papercord, Oak
Hans Wegner pair of armchairs
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Milano, IT
Hans J. Wegner (1914-2007) Pair of CH-28 Sawbuck armchairs with teak wood frame and fabric upholstery. De Padova 1960's
Wood
Hans J Wegner Pair of Chairs
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A matched pair of classic chairs. Original Cane seats Original surface Branded signature.
Teak
Hans Wegner Model CH22 Shell Back Paddle Armchair
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Stamford, CT
Oak armchair with wide paddle form arms and sculpted and inlaid back. Also having a Danish paper cord seat. The chair was designed by Hans J. Wegner and manufactured by Carl Hansen &...
Papercord, Oak
Pair of Hans Wegner Lounge Chairs for Johannes Hansen
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Very rare and well-constructed pair of Wegner Model JH 812 lounge chairs in chrome-plated steel with original saddle leather, circa 1970. Documented in Hans J. Wegner's 100 Chairs...
Steel
Early Pair CH-28 Oak Easychairs by Hans J. Wegner
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Handewitt, DE
Early pair of Ch-28 „Sawbuck“ easychairs / sawbuck chair by Hans J. Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn Denmark 1951. Prod. 1950s. in solid oak. New upholstered with fine cognac leather. -...
Leather, Oak
Hans Wegner Oak Lounge Chairs Model 265 for Getama
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in San Francisco, CA
Hans Wegner design lounge chairs Model 265 for Getama, Denmark. High quality construction and use of materials, made with solid white oak frames. Original metal spring inner cushion ...
Upholstery, Oak
Hans J Wegner Lounge Chair
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in San Francisco, CA
Hans J Wegner design oak and teak lounge chair model JH-713 for Johannes Hansen, Denmark. Simple elegance combined with high quality construction and restorations make for the perfe...
Oak
Hans Wegner Buck Lounge Chair, Model JH517
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in San Francisco, CA
Hans J. Wegner buck lounge chair, Model JH517 for Johannes Hansen. A rare model chair by the master in original finish oiled teak and newly upholstered in a cog...
Teak
Askel Bender Madsen & Ejner Larsen Lounge Chairs for Willy Beck
By Willy Beck, Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender Madsen
Located in San Francisco, CA
Askel Bender Madsen & Ejner Larsen lounge chairs for Willy Beck, Denmark. Very rare pair of chairs by Danish Architects and designer's Askel Bender Madsen & Ejner Larsen. High qualit...
Leather, Teak
Peter Hvidt & Orla Moregaard Lounge Chairs Used on the Mad Men TV Series
By Hvidt & Mølgaard
Located in San Francisco, CA
Peter Hvidt & Orla Moregaard design lounge chairs for France & Davorecksen, Denmark. These are from the Emmy and Golden Globe award winning televisi...
Upholstery, Cane, Teak
Scandinavian Modern Armchairs for Selig
By Selig
Located in San Francisco, CA
Scandinavian Modern design fruitwood armchairs that have been lacquered black and newly upholstered in Anni Albers design Maharam upholstery.
Fruitwood, Upholstery
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.
