The Danish chair – an international affair

Danish designers are renowned around the world for their beautiful and functional chairs. Here is the book that tells the full story of the Danish chairs that were created during the 20th century.

The Danish Chair is structured around chair types and illustrates how the ‘golden age’ of Danish furniture design was driven by the study and refinement of historical furniture types. It traces the family relations between the chairs and shows how they influenced each other in terms of detailing, construction and concept.

The continuous refinement of the chair

Design was the cultural phenomenon that put Denmark on the world map in the mid 20th century. The international brand of Danish Design arose in 1949 when American journalists began to write about the Danish furniture at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild exhibition. This was not only the beginning of an important export opportunity but was also taken up as a challenge by Danish designers, who became world-renowned for their obsession with creating the perfect chair.

The Danish Chair is a highly visual introduction to the Danish chair of the 20th century. It is based on a permanent exhibition of the same name that opened at Designmuseum Danmark in 2016.

About the author

Christian Holmsted Olesen is head of exhibits and collections at Designmuseum Danmark. He has served on the Danish Design Council since and has written a number of books on design, most recently the monograph Wegner – Just One Good Chair (Hatje Cantz 2014).