Hans J. Wegner
1914 - 2007
Hans J. Wegner is considered one of the most creative, innovative and productive Danish furniture designers. Wegner, also known as the ‘Master of the Chair’, designed more than 500 chairs during his career – many of which are considered masterpieces. Wegner is probably best known for his iconic Wishbone Chair, which has been in continuous production since 1950.
At the heart of Wegner’s legacy is his unique ability to express the inner soul of furniture through a simple and functional exterior.
Anker Bak
b. 1983
With his unconventional background and personal design approach, Anker Bak pushes conceptual and physical boundaries via quality materials, craftsmanship and functionality. His designs make a difference in people’s lives and meet real needs.
An example of this is the Rocking Nest Chair he made for his sister who needed a comfortable place to relax with her newborn baby. The chair’s distinct, minimalist, folding form shows Bak’s understanding of materials, function and aesthetics, as well as society’s changing needs.
Alfred Homann
1948 - 2022
Born in 1948, Alfred Homann was a multi-award-winning Danish architect and designer. He graduated as an architect from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1976 and after spending some years as a student working with different Danish and American Architects, he founded his own studio in 1978 in Copenhagen – 30 years old.
Arne Jacobsen
1902 - 1971
One of Denmark's most respected architects, Arne Jacobsen has become synonymous with global modernism. His precise yet expressive aesthetic still serves as inspiration for contemporary designers, and his furniture designs, most created in connection with specific architectural projects, continue to excite both in Denmark and abroad.
While architecture was Jacobsen’s primary focus, he also made lighting, textiles, furniture and industrial designs, approaching all projects with the same perfectionism that defined his career.
Bodil Kjær
b. 1932
Danish professor and architect Bodil Kjær has significantly contributed to the spread of Danish Modern design principles through her travels, knowledge gathering and promotion of the relationship between design and architecture.
Kjær views furniture construction from a purely technical perspective, interplayed with modern architecture and created for people. She always considers context and has collaborated with different professions in her desire to optimize physical settings.
Claus Bonderup & Torsten Thorup
After graduating from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts’ School of Architecture in Copenhagen in 1969, Claus Bonderup and Torsten Thorup began a collaboration that led them to join forces on design projects across the globe for more than 20 years.
The pair have designed everything from large-scale architecture to lighting, and Bonderup and Thorup have received much recognition and numerous prizes throughout their career.
Brad Ascalon
b. 1977
Brad Ascalon is an American designer born in 1977. He entered the art and design world at a young age. His grandfather, a sculptor and industrial designer, and his father, a renowned artist, encouraged a passion for design, craftsmanship and materials that would last.
Describing his approach as reductive, Ascalon creates uncomplicated, rational designs that balance form, function and concept. His method is both strategic and lyrical. Simple compositions form authentic solutions that fit naturally within their environment, creating perfect ambience and impact.
Børge Mogensen
1914 - 1972
Børge Mogensen’s creative process produced long-lasting pieces with humans at the center. He became a highly-influential, post-war designer and a leading representative of Danish Modern.
Mogensen’s democratic design included simple and functional wooden furniture for both private and public spaces, with calm aesthetics and strong construction from quality. He believed in visual clarity and minimal decoration or experimentation, as seen in his classic Hunting Table and Deck Chair Set.
Esben Klint
1915-1969
Esben Klint was born into a family of architects and designers and, throughout his life, he worked as an architect and cabinetmaker, creating his own distinctive style in lighting, furniture and large buildings.
Esben Klint was born on June 18, 1915. His mother was Le Bredsdorff and his father was the world-famous architect, Professor Kaare Klint, who is generally considered the father of modern Danish design and the man behind such iconic pieces of furniture as the Safari Chair, the Faaborg Chair and the Addition Sofa.
EOOS
Austrian design collaborative, EOOS, were established in Vienna in 1995 by Martin Bergmann, Gernot Bohmann, and Harald Gründl. The trio study historical roots in a contemporary context and use a unique process called Poetical Analysis to create works. Their method focuses on myths, rituals and intuitive expressions, to create connections that extend beyond initial perceptions.
EOOS view design as a poetic discipline, and believe that end results should be able to accommodate changing needs and desires.
Frits Henningsen
1889 - 1965
Renowned as an uncompromising designer, Frits Henningsen viewed quality craftsmanship as essential, and unlike most cabinetmakers, always designed his own furniture pieces.
As a member of the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers Guild, Henningsen became a major driver of the furniture exhibitions of the period, gaining recognition for his perfectionist style and vibrant personality. He gave new expression to traditional designs and drew inspiration from the French Empire, rococo, and British 17th-century furniture.
Kaare Klint
1888 - 1954
Kaare Klint was renowned as a furniture designer, educator and visionary, and today, he is recognized as the father of modern Danish design. Klint designed icons like the 1914 Faaborg Chair and the 1933 Safari Chair, as well as the design for the reception room of the Danish Pavilion at the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition.
Klint insisted on clear, logical design, clean lines, the best materials, and superb craftsmanship. His influence on future generations of designers and architects is still evident to this day.
Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen
Ejner Larsen (1917-1987) and Aksel Bender Madsen (1916-2000), trained as furniture upholsterer and cabinetmaker, respectively, met while studying under leading Danish designer Kaare Klint at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Their acquaintance developed into a lifelong friendship, and in 1947 they began designing together in their spare time. They exhibited furniture every year thereafter at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition.
Mads Odgård
b. 1960
Mads Odgård has always had a love for straight lines, right angles, and geometric shapes. This love shines through in his professional design work, the interior design of his own home and when landscaping his garden. If he doesn’t know where to begin when creating a new design, he simply starts by drawing a straight line. This minimalist mindset is evident in Mads Odgård’s design portfolio, which includes the lamps of the MO Series – his first collaboration with Carl Hansen & Søn.
Mogens Lassen
1901 - 1987
Architect Mogens Lassen created works rooted in cubist architectural ideals inspired by Le Corbusier. Considered a pioneer of Danish functionalism, Lassen’s designs showcased his ability to express ideas through diverse materials.
His simple, functional wooden furniture, like the folding Egyptian Table, have gone on to become furniture classics, while his 1930s works in steel continue to serve as original examples of the innovations of international modernism.
Morten Gøttler
b. 1944
Born in Copenhagen in 1944 and originally trained in shipping, Morten Gøttler became a self-taught designer and architect known for his exceptional understanding of wood.
He opened his own studio in 1972 and has worked in many genres, including furniture design, domestic art, packaging, toys, graphics and lighting. Gøttler’s clean, easy aesthetic is characterized by well-thought-out form, exquisite comfort, and close attention to detail – all brought to life using high-quality materials.
Nanna Ditzel
1923-2005
Her desire to explore spaces and experiment with techniques on the edge of what is possible led Nanna Ditzel – one of Danish design’s most distinctive personalities – to become acquainted with the entire design universe. This unconventional approach to the design process, together with an extensive knowledge of the craft, spawned a range of innovative designs from jewellery to textiles and furniture. Throughout her 60-year career, Nanna Ditzel established herself as one of the most distinctive figures in Danish design. She rethought the functionalist design tradition with her imaginative expressions and left her mark on thousands of private homes and public forums.
Ole Wanscher
1903 - 1985
Ole Wanscher was integral to the aesthetic and functionality of modern Danish design. Having studied under Kaare Klint, he helped shape Danish furniture design as a designer and as an educator when he took over Klint’s professorship at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
Wanscher’s classic and contemporary designs made him popular. In 1958, the Danish newspaper Politiken wrote: “Owning a Wanscher chair is an adventure every day, and will be so even several hundred years from now, for this is how long it lasts”.
Poul Kjærholm
1929 - 1980
Poul Kjærholm mixed his strict, modern idiom with superior quality and materials rooted in Danish craftsmanship traditions. Despite his short career as a furniture designer, Kjærholm’s craftsmanship and clear expression resulted in timeless designs with a global influence.
Kjærholm became known for his functionalist steel, leather and glass furniture. He removed unnecessary ornamentation in favor of clarity and function, and avoided easy solutions and fads in his search for each material’s own language.
Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm
Together, they designed furniture in wood, and later also in steel and leather, taking advantage of Jørgen Kastholm’s experience and background as a smith. They drew their inspiration from luminaries of Danish design such as Hans J. Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, but also international names such as Charles and Ray Eames and Mies van der Rohe. During the design process, drawings were passed back and forth across the table between Fabricius and Kastholm until it was no longer possible to say who had drawn what, but the result was a joint effort. The design duo specialised in furniture design and single-family houses, and their designs were characterised by minimalism, sophistication, functionality, quality and their eye for detail.
Rikke Frost
b. 1973
Danish designer Rikke Frost has always been curious about the combination of different craft traditions and types of material, a fact clearly reflected in her design portfolio where traditional and contemporary design is expressed in sofas, tables, chairs and lamps with an organic idiom. This holds true in the Sideways Sofa, which is Rikke Frost’s first collaboration with Carl Hansen & Son. Here, she blends classic materials such as woven paper cord and wood in a modern and functional design.
Strand + Hvass
The Strand + Hvass duo is part of a new breed of Danish designers whose work continues in a direct line from their celebrated predecessors. The designers focus on simplicity, superior quality, and the combination of uniqueness and industrial production to create the modern classics of tomorrow. With the Extend Table design, Strand + Hvass infused the modern Danish furniture tradition with a bold new expression and additional functionality.
Tadao Ando
b. 1941
Japanese architect Tadao Ando’s design philosophy unites Japanese design traditions with modern Western expression. Ando is inspired by Le Corbusier with a style that is minimalistic and innovative, with a focus on functionality.
Ando has great respect for the work of Hans J. Wegner and has often used his furniture in his architecture projects. Ando produced his Wegner-inspired Dream Chair in collaboration with Carl Hansen & Søn, relying on century-long traditions of craftsmanship to achieve perfection.
Thomas Bo Kastholm
b. 1963
Thomas Bo Kastholm followed in the footsteps of his father, designer Jørgen Kastholm. He studied interior design at the Danish Design School, graduating in 1989. After his studies, Kastholm launched his own career, working for studios in Denmark and Germany. Kastholm wanted to create designs that united diverse materials into compelling compositions with purpose
The TK8 Daybed, with its close ties to the core principles of classic, modern Danish design, achieved the ideals Kastholm strived for and became an instant success.
Sharon Fisher Matteo Barenghi
Interior architect and designer Sharon Fisher and architect Matteo Barenghi started their Danish-Italian collaboration across borders in 2008. Since then, the two architects and designers have created timeless pieces with a great focus on quality. The focal points of the design duo are the search for natural simplicity and the fascination of good materials and skilled craftsmanship.
Gudmundur Ludvik
b. 1970
Deeply rooted in the Scandinavian tradition of design and craftsmanship, Gudmundur Ludvik is fascinated by the balance between simplicity and complexity. By exploring challenges through multiple perspectives, Ludvik strives to understand and reduce his designs to the core to transform them into simple and intuitive solutions.
When you choose a product from Carl Hansen & Søn, you get more than just a piece of furniture. You will become part of a long and proud tradition of beautiful and distinctive craftsmanship where nothing is left to chance. We are the world’s largest manufacturer of furniture designed by Hans J. Wegner, and we also produce furniture created by renowned furniture designers such as Arne Jacobsen, Børge Mogensen, Ole Wanscher, Kaare Klint, Poul Kjærholm, Bodil Kjær and Tadao Ando. Carl Hansen & Søn represents more than 100 years of Danish design history, and our furniture is sold worldwide.
* Five-year warranty on indoor furniture. Two-year warranty on outdoor furniture