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 for Johannes Hansen JH 539 Cane Stool
By Hans J. Wegner, Johannes Hansen
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A seldom seen model JH 539 footstol, designed by Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen. Elegantly crafted teak frame, with woven cane seat. A fantastic companion to our Papa Bear Chair. De...
Teak
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
$5,645
H 20.48 in W 27.56 in D 16.15 in
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 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
$1,881
H 17.72 in W 23.63 in D 17.72 in
German Stool Ottoman Attributed to Hartmut Lohmeyer, Germany, 1950
By Wilkhahn, Hans J. Wegner, Hartmut Lohmeyer
Located in Berlin, DE
Beautiful stool attributed to Hartmut Lohmeyer, Germany, 1950s. The stool is in a good used condition with little traces of usage. Made out of beech and brown leather.
Beech
$7,938
H 20.87 in W 27.96 in D 17.72 in
Piano Stool by Hans J. Wegner for L. Chr. Larsen & Søn, Denmark, 1950s
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Rare piano stool by Hans J. Wegner, made from teak with original black leather upholstery. Beautiful sculpted handles on the sides of the seat.
Leather, Teak
Jonas Lyndby Jensen Akande Stool For One Collection
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Jonas Lyndby Jensen Akande Stool For One Collection ‘Åkande’, translating to Water Lily in Danish, defines a multifaceted furniture series by Jonas Lyndby Jensen, a previous recipie...
Oak
American Mid Century Modern Knoll Stool by Jens Risom
By Jens Risom, Knoll
Located in San Diego, CA
Whimsical versatyle solid wood stool designed by Jens Risom for Knoll Studio retains label , good solid construction nice patina .
Birch
Midcentury Stool Model PH43 Designed by Poul Hundevad, 1960s
By Poul Hundevad
Located in Lejre, DK
Stool in oak and patinated leather, designed and made by Poul Hundevad. Made in Denmark 1950s
Leather, Oak
Jonas Lyndby Jensen Akande Stool For One Collection
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Jonas Lyndby Jensen Akande Stool For One Collection ‘Åkande’, translating to Water Lily in Danish, defines a multifaceted furniture series by Jonas Lyndby Jensen, a previous recipie...
Oak
Edward Wormley "Snack" Side Table for Dunbar
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in San Diego, CA
A masterclass in elegant utility, this rare Model 4856 Snack Table by Edward Wormley for Dunbar distills mid-century American luxury into a single, sculptural form. Light in hand, ye...
Chrome
Lollipop Side Table by Albert Modern, Oak, Mid-Century Design, USA
Located in San Diego, CA
New production Hobbs Modern original Lollipop Side Table – A Playful Ode to Danish Modern Simplicity. The Lollipop Side Table is a thoughtfully designed piece that blends Danish Mod...
Wood, Beech, Oak, Walnut
Ib Kofod-Larsen Lounge Chair, Solid Beech & Cane, Danish Modern, 1950s
By Ib Kofod-Larsen
Located in San Diego, CA
A sculptural icon of Danish modernism, this rare lounge chair by Ib Kofod-Larsen pairs a lyrical frame with a transparent, light-as-air seat. Crafted in solid beech that has been pro...
Cane, Beech
David Ebner Wall-Mounted Console Table in Australian Lacewood Studio Craft
By David N. Ebner
Located in San Diego, CA
There are furniture makers, and then there are those rare individuals who treat wood the way a sculptor treats marbel — coaxing form from the material rather than imposing it. David ...
Wood
Finn Juhl Model 136 Lounge Chair for France & Son Circa 1950's
By France & Søn, Finn Juhl
Located in San Diego, CA
Finn Juhl's Model 136 armchair for France & Son. This is a beautifully sculpted teak frame with Finn Juhl Classic design elements: floating seat and floating backrest. This chair has...
Wool, Wood, Teak
Jordan Mozer “PushMe PullYou” Prototype Side Table – One of a Kind
By Jordan Mozer
Located in San Diego, CA
A rare and highly collectible prototype by acclaimed American designer Jordan Mozer, this PushMe PullYou side table represents the bold sculptural vision that made Mozer one of the m...
Aluminum
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.
