Posted September 28th, 2007
I’ve been thinking about Danish design today because I was at a furniture store in NYC and sent over a client to take a look at an original vintage Danish chair and ottoman…she didn’t think it worked for her home, but today I was flipping through a magazine and noticed that the exact chair I saw was being reissued. Just reminded me of how great and timeless Danish design is.
Jens Risom is one of my favorite Danish designers. He has great furniture, upholstery, cabinetry—everything—and there has been a recent surge in the reissuing of some of his old designs. I think this is a great time to snatch up some of his work. He’s still alive (going strong at 88!)…I really see his work going up in value, especially his original pieces.
The main reason I love Jens Risom and Danish design in general has to do with their beautiful, exotic woods and incredible craftsmanship…everything is just made so well and has such striking details. The Danish are experts at proportion, functionality and are often unexpectedly clever…I have a great Danish wooden oval table in my New York City home and the whole thing comes apart—you would never know by looking at it.
Another great designer to keep in mind is Kaare Klint…once in a great while something of his will come up for sale on eBay…keep a look-out–his stuff is amazing. I especially love Klint’s Safari Chair and Ottoman. They were designed in 1933 and were inspired by traditional pieces that were originally meant for the British military..with that in mind, the chair has a simple, sleek wooden frame and a canvas seat. He actually did another piece I love called the Red Chair or the Barcelona Chair (not to be confused with the leather cushions, steel framed Mies van der Rohe one…). Klint designed this piece for the World’s Fair in 1928. You can see some great Chippendale references in his work…the simple delicate nature, beautiful details which are signatures in a lot of Danish design.
Here are some great eBay finds that go along with the traditional signatures I just talked about!
On a side note, I will be at the Country
Living Antiques Fair in Morrow, Ohio this weekend…come say hi if you’re in the area!
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