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.
1950s Rare Danish Alfred Christensen Restored Teak Boomerang Dining Table
By Slagelse Mobelvaerk, Alfred Christensen
Located in Knebel, DK
1950s Danish Alfred Christensen restored teak "boomerang" dining table by Slagelse Møbelfabrik The rare expandable boomerang table feature a simple but very elegant organic curved t...
Teak
1960s Fully Restored Danish Teak Coffee Table Attributed to Arne Hovmand-Olsen
By Arne Hovmand-Olsen
Located in Knebel, DK
1960s fully restored Danish coffee table in teak attributed to Arne Hovmand-Olsen. The well dimensioned coffee table with it´s floating tabletop that makes the whole coffee table l...
Teak
1960s Ole Wanscher Restored Expandable Mahogany Dining Table by P. Jeppesen
By Ole Wanscher, Poul Jeppesens Møbelfabrik
Located in Knebel, DK
1960s Ole Wanscher restored expandable mahogany dining table by P. Jeppesen The light and elegant Ole Wanscher dining table has two two extra leaves so it can expand from W 145 cm....
Mahogany
Fully Restored Danish Johannes Andersen Coffee Table in Teak by CFC Silkeborg
By Johannes Andersen, CFC Silkeborg
Located in Knebel, DK
1960s Fully Restored Danish Johannes Andersen Coffee Table in Teak by CFC Silkeborg The table feature a slimlined minimlistic coffee table with two extensions that slide n under th...
Teak
1960s Expandable Danish Brazilian Rosewood Dining Table in Excellent Condition
By Erik Buch
Located in Knebel, DK
1960s Expandable Danish Brazilian Rosewood Dining Table in Excellent Condition The expandable table is attributed to the Danish designer Erik Buch and and made in a rich patterned B...
Rosewood
1960s Fully Restored Danish Coffee Table in Teak
Located in Knebel, DK
1960s fully restored Danish coffee table in teak. The well dimensioned coffee table with it´s elegant organic curved shapes has been fully res...
Teak
Hans Wegner for Andreas Tuck AT-318 dining table in teak 2 extensions
By Hans J. Wegner, Andreas Tuck
Located in PARIS, FR
Mid century Danish dining table with a full of grain teak top (and 2 extensions) by the great designer Hans Wegner, in the original edition executed by cabinetmake Andreas Tuck (sign...
Stainless Steel
Danish Teak and Oak AT-312 Dining Table by Hans Wegner for Andreas Tuck, 1960s
By Hans J. Wegner, Andreas Tuck
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Teak and Oak AT-312 Dining Table by Hans Wegner for Andreas Tuck, 1960s. Lovely Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern Model AT 312 dining table with frame and legs in solid Nordic ...
Oak, Teak
Hans J. Wegner Teak and Oak Drop Leaf Dining Table
By Andreas Tuck Møbelfabrik, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Berkeley, CA
This stunning Danish modern dining table was designed by Hans J. Wegner for Andreas Tuck in the 1950s. The beautifully banded teak table top stands on a solid, quarter- sawn oak base...
Oak, Teak
Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen Model JH-570 Teak & Oak Extendable Dining Table
By Johannes Andersen, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Sacramento, CA
1950s Danish Modern teak and oak Model JH-570 extendable dining table, designed by Hans Wegner and manufactured by Johannes Hansen. The table features steel and brass arms that exten...
Brass, Steel
Large Hans J. Wegner Extendable Dining Table AT-312, Teak & Oak, 1950 original
By Hans J. Wegner, Andreas Tuck Møbelfabrik
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
An exceptional and highly sought-after original 1950s extendable dining table (rare large model) designed by Hans J. Wegner and produced by Andreas Tuck. This rare large model embod...
Oak, Teak
Danish Modern Teak Extension Dining Table by Skovmand & Andersen, 1960s
By Skovmand and Andersen
Located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
An elegant and versatile Danish Modern extension dining table, crafted in rich teakwood and teak veneer by the esteemed Danish manufacturer Skovmand & Andersen. The design embodi...
Wood, 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.
