Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm
Creative convergence of function and minimalism
Danish designers Preben Fabricius and Jørgen Kastholm were renowned for their jointly developed and internationally renowned style of functional, minimalist design.
Function and minimalism were watchwords for Danish designers Preben Fabricius (1931–1984) and Jørgen Kastholm (1931–2007). As a design duo, they created design-led furniture and lighting of international renown by merging their respective backgrounds as cabinetmaker and smith into a consummate whole. In just seven years, their shared design studio created a wide collection of minimalist and functionalist designs in wood, steel, leather and glass, gaining wide recognition and international acclaim.
Fabricius and Kastholm’s designs are characteristic of the Danish Modern era, which they helped epitomise. Their designs were functional and minimalist and embody fine details and quality materials. The designers mastered the creation of an honest design that beautifully highlights what other designers often seek to hide. They were inspired by luminaries of Danish design such as Hans J. Wegner and Arne Jacobsen and by designers of international renown such as Charles and Ray Eames and Mies van der Rohe. During the drawing process, Fabricius and Kastholm would exchange drawings across the table until it was no longer possible to say who had drawn what, but the result was a joint, distinctive effort.
Jørgen Kastholm (1931–2007)
Preben Fabricius became a qualified cabinetmaker under master joiner Niels Vodder, and Jørgen Kastholm trained as a smith at his father’s company. They first met at the Danish School of Interior Design (now the Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design and Conservation) in the 1950s, after they had both decided to continue their studies. Preben Fabricius studied under Finn Juhl and got a job at Ole Hagen’s design studio in 1957, where he renewed his acquaintance with Jørgen Kastholm a few years later.
In his youth, Jørgen Kastholm had spent time in the US, which marked the beginning of a career of international vision with multiple stays abroad. Kastholm then continued his studies at Den Grafiske Højskole (now the Danish School of Media and Journalism), while working for Arne Jacobsen at the same time. Jacobsen was a profound source of inspiration for Kastholm in his subsequent career as a furniture designer. In 1959, Jørgen Kastholm moved to Beirut, Lebanon, to work in a design studio, where he was involved in designing SAS lounges and palaces for the king of Saudi Arabia, after which he returned to Denmark and worked at Ole Hagen’s design studio.
It was their reunion at the design studio that prompted Fabricius and Kastholm to become aware of their shared passion for sophisticated design focused on functionality and minimalism. This was also why they founded a design studio in their own name in 1961. In the early years they focused on wood, but later included steel and leather in their designs, drawing on Kastholm’s metalworking background.
They parted ways in 1968, after which Preben Fabricius set up his own design studio, designing furniture for the German furniture manufacturer Walter Knoll, among others. In 1978, Fabricius became a teacher at the School of Interior Design, his former place of study, where he remained until his death in 1984. Jørgen Kastholm also established a design studio in his own name, where he continued to design furniture for major furniture manufacturers. At the same time, he also worked as an editor and writer.
Kastholm moved to Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1971, where he opened his own design studio, designing furniture for major international furniture manufacturers until his death in 2007. In addition to that, Jørgen Kastholm was a professor at the University of Wuppertal (BUW) in the field of furniture design and product development from 1975 to 1996.
The designs of Preben Fabricius and Jørgen Kastholm are currently exhibited in museums and design centres all over the world, including the MoMA in New York and the Louvre in Paris. They have been lauded with multiple design awards and recognitions – jointly and individually – including Germany’s first ‘Die Gute Form’ award in 1969, the Illum Prize in the same year and a Red Dot Award in 1995.
Our designers
Hans J. Wegner
Danish furniture designer Hans J. Wegner (1914-2007) is considered one of the most creative, innovative, and prolific designers of all times, renowned for his precision, great insight into craftsmanship and uncompromising approach to design.
Anker Bak
Designer and cabinetmaker Anker Bak (b. 1983) is known for his problem-solving and human-centric design approach.
Arne Jacobsen
One of Denmark's best-known and most respected architects, Arne Jacobsen has become synonymous with modernism throughout the world. His precise yet expressive aesthetic continues to serve as a source of inspiration for contemporary designers.
Bodil Kjær
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.
Bonderup & 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.
Brad Ascalon
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.
Børge Mogensen
Cabinetmaker and designer Børge Mogensen (1914-1972) created durable and simple furniture with a focus on people and is today regarded as one of the most influential representatives of Danish Modern.
EOOS
The design studio EOOS, founded by Martin Bergmann (b. 1963), Gernot Bohmann (b. 1968) and Harald Gründl (b. 1967), enjoys a reputation for its poetic approach to design.
Frits Henningsen
Frits Henningsen was an uncompromising designer known for his perfectionism and vibrant personality. He gave new expression to traditional designs and viewed quality craftsmanship as essential. Unlike most cabinetmakers, he always designed his own furniture pieces.
Kaare Klint
Kaare Klint is recognized as the father of modern Danish design and a renowned furniture designer, educator, and visionary. He insisted on clear, logical design, clean lines, the best materials, and superb craftsmanship, as seen in his iconic Safari Chair from 1933.
Larsen & Bender Madsen
Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender Madsen designed around 300 works, including the Metropolitan Chair. While the chair was their favorite object, they also made other pieces from bedroom suites to bookshelves. The results were always simple and timeless.
Linie Design
Linie Design, a Danish design company, was founded in 1980 and since then has specialized in the development of handmade rugs in elegant designs and of the highest quality materials.
Mads Odgård
The dream of becoming a designer has lived in Mads Odgård for as long as he can remember, so when the time came, he left his birthplace, the Danish town of Kjellerup, and moved to Copenhagen to work in the creative business.
Mogens Lassen
Architect Mogens Lassen created works rooted in cubist architectural ideals inspired by Le Corbusier. Considered a pioneer of functionalism in Denmark, Lassen’s designs showcased his ability to express ideas through diverse materials.
Morten Gøttler
Born in Copenhagen, and originally trained in shipping, Morten Gøttler became a self-taught designer and architect recognized for his exceptional understanding of wood and strong belief that innovation is the foundation for successful design.
Nanna Ditzel
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.
Ole Wanscher
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.
Poul Kjærholm
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.
Rikke Frost
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.
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. With the Extend Table design, they infused the modern Danish furniture tradition with a bold new expression.
Tadao Ando
Japanese architect Tadao Ando bases his work on a design philosophy that unites Japanese design traditions with modern Western expression. Inspired by Le Corbusier, Ando’s style is minimalistic and innovative, with a focus on functionality.
Thomas Bo Kastholm
Thomas Bo Kastholm creates designs that unite diverse materials into compelling compositions with clear purpose. The TK8 Daybed, with its close ties to the core principles of classic, modern Danish design, exemplifies Kastholm’s ideals.
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
