Hans Jorgen Wegner's Woven Chairs
Danish furniture designer Hans Jorgen Wegner (1914-2007) learned woodworking as a boy, the son of a cobbler, in Tondern, in southern Denmark.
Wegner studied design in Copenhagen in 1938, then hired by Jacobsen and Erik Moller to design furniture for the town hall in Aarhus, Denmark.
Hans Wegner opened his own design studio in 1943. Wegner was often referred to as the master of the chair and created many chairs for Carl Hansen & Søn from 1949 until 1968.
CH 23 Dining Chair
CH 23 Dining Chair
The CH 23 dining chair was one of the first chairs Hans J. Wegner designed exclusively for Carl Hansen & Søn in 1950 at the age of 35.
The CH 23 chair incorporates many sophisticated details, the most notable being among the elegant cruciform cover caps and a double-rail woven seat. The arched back legs increase the chair's stability.
When first released made from teak the chair was the bestseller, however, was pulled from production in the 1960s and then rereleased in 2017 made from oak or American walnut.
Dimensions:
19.8" W x 19.8" D x 30.9" H
Seat: 17.5" H
CH 24 Wishbone or "Y" Chair
CH 24 Wishbone or "Y" Chair
The CH 24 Wishbone or “Y” Chair is the most famous and sold chair designed by Wegner originally released in 1949.
The chair is part of the "Chinese chairs" series, which was inspired by portraits of Danish merchants sitting in Ming chairs.
When designing the CH 24, Wegner chose to combine the back- and armrest into a single piece. The steam-bent top provides stability and comfortable support.
The Wishbone Chair is named after the characteristic Y-shaped back developed by Wegner.
The easiest way to spot a replica is by looking at the curved top rail. The real Wishbone has no joins. Curved, tapered dowels support the seat of the true Wishbone chair.
Dimensions:
21.66" W x 19.69" D x 19.69" H
CH 25 Lounge Chair or Easy Chair
CH 25 Lounge Chair or Easy Chair
Beautiful from all angles — “A chair is to have no backside,” said Hans J. Wegner, designer of the Easy Chair. “It should be beautiful from all sides and angles.”
The introduction caused a stir due to Wegner’s choice of materials on the backrest and seat. The woven paper cord is a replacement for seagrass developed during World War II and had not been used in furniture before.
The Danish cord material had an impressive tensile strength and offered optimal durability, lasting for upwards of 50 years with proper care and maintenance.
The CH25 lounge chair was very popular and has been in continuous production since 1950.
Dimensions:
28" W x 29" D x 29" H
I'm amazed every single time I replace old, stained, and discoloured material with a freshly woven surface. The privilege and honour I feel to breathe a new life into these masterpieces are truly wonderful.
The exactness of these pieces to receive material is sometimes beyond my comprehension. So precise and perfect in their seeming simplicity.
J16 Rocking Chair
J16 Rocking Chair
Hans Wegner's Gyngestol / Rocking Chair J16 was inspired by traditional Windsor and Shaker furniture. The J16 chair was designed for Fredericia Furniture with a slotted back to weave the Danish cord in front of the vertical back rails. After a process to make the chair easier to produce and with help from Danish designer Børge Mogensen the production started in 1944.
JH 503 Armchair with Cane Seat
JH 503 Armchair with Cane Seat
JH 503 armchair was designed by Hans Wegner in 1950 and made in Denmark by Johannes Hansen. Wegner's JH 503, known as the 'round chair' or simply 'the chair'.
The backrest is carved from a single piece of solid teak, joined seamlessly to the armrests by precisely-fitted finger joints with a handwoven cane seat.
Dimensions:
24.4" W x 18.9" D x 29.9" H
Seat H. 18 in
PP512 Folding Chair
PP512 Folding Chair
In 1929 architect Mies van der Rohe exhibited his iconic ‘folding chair’ in the German Pavilion at the Barcelona World’s Fair. It was constructed of steel, and unable to fold as the crosspieces were welded.
The PP512 Folding Chair was designed 20 years later by Wegner with the Barcelona Chair in mind.
The owner of the chair above believed it to be a Wegner although I didn't see a stamp. I've been told that it is a Yugoslavian folding chair or a replic
The wooden handles serve as hand-rests, but they also intersect with the cane or Danish cord creating aesthetic pleasure.
When hanging folded on the wall it becomes a piece of art. When folded, the seat support pivots up-wards, guided along a track cut into the inner side of the chair’s legs. The back legs, arc to form the support for the seat that is woven through a slot cut through the frame.