Danish Modern tables and chairs, desks and dressers, and other types of furniture from the postwar period are recognizable for their simple, elegant, and airy forms. Many of the pieces, which were typified by their clean, sweeping lines, were of very high quality. As a result, excellent examples of vintage Danish Modern furniture are still available in usable condition.
One of the most influential Danish Modern designers was Arne Jacobsen, whose early work was itself influenced by the output of Charles and Ray Eames in the late 1940s, when Mid-century Modern was just beginning to flower. Jacobsen’s successful, stackable, and space-saving Ant chair from 1952 had three metal legs and was made out of a single piece of molded plywood. Other pieces, such as the 7 Chair from 1955, were even more like the work of the Eameses.
In 1957, a purely Jacobsen aesthetic arrived with the release of the Swan chair, which wrapped its users in a palm-like embrace. The interior of the chair was constructed of a fi...
Finn Juhl was a contemporary of Jacobsen. He took a more sculptural approach with his wood-frame seats and couches, whose backs were often asymmetrical. His 1949 Chieftain chair, with leather seats and backs, and tongue-like leather flaps on the wooden arms, is one of his rarest pieces. Fewer than 100 of these handsome chairs were made, mostly for Danish embassies.
Hans Wegner got his start in Jacobsen’s office, but he quickly made a name for himself in the world of Danish furniture design and beyond. His Peacock chair from 1947 was a riff on the classic Windsor chair, with a wider cord seat and a fuller, radiating back. But Wegner is probably best known for the 1949 Round chair, which was so highly regarded it was used by Nixon and Kennedy in a 1960 presidential debate. Today it is known simply as The Chair.
Børge Mogensen designed office furniture, from desks to chairs, of elegant simplicity that harmonized form with functionality. His teak Shell chair from 1949 seemed constructed out of the sort of organic shapes one might find in the sand at the beach. Mogensen’s low-slung Hunt chair from 1950 was more straightforward, while his Sleigh chair from 1953 was a confection in white, with sled-like feet and pointed arms that were just whimsical enough to suggest use by a certain jolly bearded man in a red coat.
Verner Panton is a Danish bridge to the swinging 1960s. In 1954, Panton made a chair entirely out of a single piece of molded plywood, so that the legs, seat, and back formed an S. The pieces were too heavy to be practical, more like examples of sculpture than seating. But technology caught up with Panton in the 1960s, when the U.S. furniture maker Herman Miller produced a similar-looking Panton chair out of molded plastic. In the 1960s, Panton explored the cone shape, designing a table that rested on an inverted cone, as well as a cone-shaped chair made of zinc wire, whose see-through frame held a vibrantly colored cushioned seat and backrest.
Interviews & Articles
For the Love of Danish Modern Furniture

I grew up with antiques, mostly English, and I've lived around the world and traveled a lot as well. Art had always been a passion… [more]
The International Influences of Buffalo Furniture

About 11 years ago, my wife and I went on some architectural tours. We joined the organization that sponsored the tours, and I vol… [more]
Eames, Nelson, and the Mid-Century Modern Aesthetic

As a teenager, I collected everything from vintage bicycles to Coca-Cola to Victorian stuff. Once I realized some of this stuff co… [more]
Mid-Century Modern Furniture, from Marshmallow Sofas to Hans Wegner Chairs

Mid-century Modern used the technology of mass production to produce good-looking pieces of furniture out of the latest materials.… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Modernism

An overview by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts of the design movements between 1880 and 1940 that comprised Moder… [read review or visit site]
Herman Miller Consortium Collection

This website showcases several hundred pieces of furniture, held by thirteen museums, that were designed for Herman… [read review or visit site]
Buffalo Architecture and History

Chuck LaChiusa's wonderful guide to the architecture and history of Buffalo, NY, also happens to host an impressive… [read review or visit site]
The Mid Century Modernist

Stephen Coles' really visual blog dedicated to the Modernist era of design from 1940 to 1970 (aka Mid-century Moder… [read review or visit site]
Chipstone

This beautiful site showcases the collection of Stanley and Polly Stone of Fox Point, Wisconsin, consisting of earl… [read review or visit site]
Kentucky Online Arts Resource

This huge online database from the Speed Art Museum is a rich trove of beautiful photos and reference information o… [read review or visit site]
EamesCollector.com

Steven Cabella's personal homage to Charles and Ray Eames. This site is as clean and visually appealing as the Eame… [read review or visit site]
Work of Charles and Ray Eames

This Library of Congress microsite is an overview of the postwar modern design work of Charles (1907-78) and Ray (1… [read review or visit site]
Classic Modern

Get a taste of how homes were lit in the 50s, 60s, and 70s with the Danish retro-style lighting designs featured on… [read review or visit site]
Clubs & Associations: Furniture
Other Great Reference Sites: Furniture
Top eBay Auctions
Recent News: Danish Modern Furniture
Source: Google News
GOODS: River Market Playing Host To Cool And Curated “Curious Flea” Next ...
Scout Magazine (blog), May 23rdto merchant Mid Century Modern Home. Owner Jenny Cashin — who is helping curate the finds at the flea — has developed a following for the shop's beautifully restored Danish Modern and Mid-Century Modern furniture, art, lighting and decorative pieces...Read more
Design experts discuss new trends at Index seminars
Khaleej Times, May 23rd“It was my intention to create a statement of a modern, confident and luxurious design that captures attention and allures people to understand the cultural significance of the design across the region; while enjoying the comfort of the furniture with...Read more
Design notebook: Swiss knives and the best bar stools
Telegraph.co.uk, May 22ndThe Harlow range of rattan furniture has an energetic design that plays with quirky asymmetric shapes: a modern take on traditional conservatory furniture. Coffee tables, £175 and £200; chair, £350; chaise longue, £400. A slice of colour This Four...Read more
Design Week: The Future Perfect's neri&hu x De La Espada exhibition shines
Examiner.com, May 21stThe Trio Coffee Table, a smaller design of the dining table, was sided by the Solo Chair in Danish oiled walnut and black wool. Adding depth and dimension to the “living room” were the extend mirrors in walnut, a modern take on the bamboo ladder found...Read more
Midcentury-Modern Furniture for Kids
Wall Street Journal, May 17thSpeaking of multifunction, a big seller at Danish Design Store are furniture sets that double as toys, such as Hans Wegner's Peter's Table and Chair, first created in 1944 as a baby gift and re-editioned in 2011 for the U.S. market by Carl Hansen & Søn...Read more
Retro design is more about personal style
Allentown Morning Call, May 17thDanish Modern: Michelle Faires, co-owner of the Swanky Retro shop in Charleston, Ill., specializes in selling mid-century modern and Danish modern furniture and accessories. Danish modern is characterized by clean lines, natural wood and boxy couches...Read more
More on modern furniture
BlueRidgeNow.com, May 9thActually, plenty of non-Danish modern furniture is also strong in the marketplace, so this month I will touch on that. I will start with some examples of modern furniture that have sold at auction this year. This will give us insight into what the...Read more
Danish modern furniture
Downtown: Birmingham/Bloomfield news magazine, May 6th05/06/2013 - Danish furniture store BoConcept will be opening in the former Azar's location at 670 S. Old Woodward this summer. "In a general sense, probably at the end of July to the first week of August," owner Steven Syzdek said. "The whole concept...Read more
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