Koldinghus Armchairs in Beech by Hans J. Wegner for Fredericia, 1980s, Set of 8

One of the most important and influential designers in history, Hans J. Wegner (1914-2007) is commonly credited as a driving force in the midcentury Danish modern movement—an era that forever changed the way the world looks at furniture.

Born in 1914 in Tønder, in Southern Denmark, Wegner was the son of a shoemaker. From 1928 to 1932, he was apprenticed to the cabinetmaker H.F. Stahlberg; at the age of fifteen, Wegner made his very first chair. He studied at The Danish School of Arts and Crafts (1936-1938) under Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen before going on to work as a designer in Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller’s noted architectural office. During this period, Wegner also designed furniture for the Åarhus City Hall in Denmark and began working with master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen, as well as Michael Laursen. In 1940, he designed a rocking chair for Laursen, which became Wegner’s first mass-produced chair. Wegner opened his own studio in 1943 in Gentofte.

Championing modernism, craftsmanship, and Nordic functionality in combination with the unexpected influence of Chinese furniture, Wegner designed over 500 chairs in his lifetime. Over 100 of these were produced, and several became icons in the international furniture design arena, including: the Peacock Chair (1947); the Wishbone Chair (1949); the Round Chair (1949)—which the American magazine Interiors called “the world’s most beautiful chair” (and was featured in the first ever televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1961); the three-legged Shell Chair (1949)—which was designed for MoMA’s historical competition on low-cost furniture; Papa Bear Chair (1950); Flag Halyard Chair (1950); Dolphin Chair (1951), the Valet Chair (1953); Ox Chair (1960); and Wing Chair (1960). His designs were at once functional and graceful; his solid wooden chairs, for example, featured limbs that elegantly tapered and curved, and which were often paired with woven rattans or leathers. Wegner utilized traditional construction techniques, mixing materials such as plywood, metal, upholstery, caning, and paper cord.

While he is best known for his chairs, Wegner also created memorable cabinetry, desks, tables, beds, and lighting fixtures. Over the course of his career, the designer collaborated with several renowned manufacturers, including AP Stolen, Carl Hansen & Søns, Fredericia Stolefabrik, Getama, Fritz Hansen, Erik Jorgensen, Louis Poulsen, Ry Møbler, PP Møbler, and Andreas Tuck.

Wegner’s furniture is included in the permanent collections of the world’s most respected museums. He is also the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Grand Prix at Milan’s Triennale in 1950, the Lunning Prize in 1951, the Eckersberg Medal in 1955, and the 8th International Design Award in 1997, among others.

Wegner passed away in Copenhagen in 2007 at age 92, leaving a remarkable legacy of design and craftsmanship for future generations to enjoy. His designs, vintage Wegner chairs in particular, fetch high prices at auction houses and are in constant demand by vintage lovers and art collectors alike. 

Danish furniture maker Fredericia Stolefabrik was founded in 1911 by N. P. Ravnsø in an industrial port town of the same name—where, the year prior, the era's largest Scandinavian design fair, the Nordic International Furniture Exhibition, was held. The company and the town continued to host the fair until 1983. 

From the start, Ravnsø built Fredericia's reputation on quality and hired only the most skilled craftsmen he could find. The company's early collections in the 1920s reflected the influence of pared-back, English and Central European designs. In 1934, Thonet made an exclusive licensing agreement with Fredericia for the Scandinavian region. To meet the high demand, Fredericia doubled its production staff. However, with the Nazi occupation of Denmark during the Second World War, raw materials were scarce and Fredericia struggled to survive. In the aftermath of the war, Fredericia was faced with bankruptcy.

In 1955, the Ravnsø family sold Fredericia to Andreas Graversen, an interior architect involved with Denmark's national design co-op, the FDB, to aid in postwar economic recovery. His first order of business would be to bring in the FDB's studio manager, Børge Mogensen as head of design.

During his years with the FDB, Mogensen had worked with Hans Wegner to develop modern, functionalist, affordable furniture collections. Graversen wanted Mogensen's "unpretentious, pure, and honest" design ethos to define Fredericia's future. The No. 1 Sofa (1955) was Mogensen's first design for Fredericia. The following year, Fredericia produced a collection of Shaker-inspired dining furniture by Mogensen, alongside a number of designs originally developed during Mogensen's years at the FDB, such as his famous Spindle-Back Sofa (1945) and Hunting Chair (1950). In 1958, Fredericia introduced Mogensen's iconic Spanish Chair.

Mogensen stayed with Fredericia until his untimely death in 1972. In 1980, Fredericia acquired the license for a number of Mogensen's designs for P. Lauritzen & Son, in order to consolidate Mogensen's oeuvre under one brand. 

Over the years following Mogensen's passing, Frederica has continued to cultivate fruitful partnerships with prestigious Danish designers. In 1989, Federica acquired production rights for a range of Wegner furniture previously manufactured by the Johannes Hansen. In the 1990s, Fredericia began working with Nanna Ditzel, a. k. a “the Queen of Danish Design,” known for her innovative designs in foam, plastic, and rattan. Her Bench for Two for Fredericia (1989) won several awards in Denmark and Japan—a feat she repeated with Fredericia's Trinidad Chair for Fredericia in 1993.

In 2014, in tribute to Børge Mogensen's lasting legacy, Fredericia reissued a number of designs by Mogensen on the centenary of his debut at the company.

With a deep respect for tradition, Fredericia Stolefabrik has remained family-owned and changed hands only once throughout hundred-year history. The company has continuously prided itself on excellent Danish craftsmanship.

* Images courtesy of Fredericia