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.
Rare Stool with Solid Oak Frame by Bernt Petersen, 1950s
By Bernt Petersen
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
This rare stool, designed by Bernt Petersen and produced by Wørts Møbelsnedkeri in Denmark during the 1950s, exemplifies the principles of Scandinavian modern design. The stool featu...
Cane, Oak
Stool in Teak and Cane Attributed to Aksel Bender Madsen & Ejnar Larsen
By Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender Madsen
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare stool attributed to Aksel Bender Madsen & Ejnar Larsen. Produced in Denmark.
Cane, Teak
Stool in Oak and Woven Cane by Hans Wegner, 1954
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Stool in Oak and Woven Cane by Hans Wegner, 1954 Additional Information: Material: Oak and woven cane Style: Mid century, Scandinavian Very rare stool model JH-539 Produced by cabin...
Oak
Stool in Teak and Wool Fabric from Kvadrat by Svend Ellekær, 1962
By Svend Ellekær
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Stool in Teak and Wool Fabric from Kvadrat™ by Svend Ellekær, 1962 Additional Information: Material: Teak and wool fabric from Kvadrat™ Style: Mid cent...
Teak, Fabric, Wool
Gustav Axel Berg Stool Produced by Gustav Axel Berg 'GA Berg' in Sweden
By Gustaf Axel Berg
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare stool by Gustav Axel Berg. Produced by Gustav Axel Berg (GA Berg) in Sweden.
Leather, Birch
Folding Stool in Brass, Leather and Oak by Uno & Östen Kristiansson, 1950s
By Uno & Östen Kristiansson
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
This folding stool, designed by Uno & Östen Kristiansson and produced by Luxus in Vittsjö, Sweden, is a fine embodiment of Scandinavian modernism—combining elegance, precision, a...
Brass
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 Teak Piano Stool c1950s
By A.P. Stolen, Hans J. Wegner
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
Hans Wegner AP-30 Teak Piano Stool c1950s
By A.P. Stolen, Hans J. Wegner
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 an additional cross-bar and...
Leather, Oak
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
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
Piano Stool Model AP 30 by Hans J Wegner for A.P.Stolen
By A.P. Stolen, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Little Burstead, Essex
A nice original piano stool by Hans J.Wegner, identical to the other one we have listed here, with the only real difference being that this one, although bought originally at the sam...
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.
