Mid-Century Danish Secretary by H.W. Klein for Bramin, 1960s

Designer Henry Walter (H.W.) Klein was born in Norway in 1919. While information is limited, it is known that after serving in the Norwegian Royal Marines, Klein turned his attention to cabinetmaking. In 1949, he moved to Denmark to study interior design at the Tekniske Skile in Frederikberg. There, he trained under the prominent Danish designer and architect Finn Juhl. After finishing school in 1952, Klein returned to Norway to establish his own furniture and interiors business. His chairs, tables, and sideboards are characteristic of the postwar Danish modern style, typically involving fine woods like teak and well proportioned, well crafted forms.

Later on, he became interested in plastic furniture—ultimately designing a new plastic manufacturing method—and worked closely with Danish manufacturer Bramin in order to finance his plastic endeavors. In 1960, Klein and his family moved to Denmark so he could work full time at Bramin. He remained at the company until it closed in 1980; he and his family moved to San Francisco in the 1980s.

Originally known as N.A. Jørgensen, Danish furniture manufacturer Bramin was founded in Bramming, a region on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula. Throughout the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, the company produced seating, tables, and casegoods in a style representative of the Danish mid-century modern era.

From Bramin’s catalogues and advertisements, we can ascertain that N.A. Jørgensen launched the Bramin brand around 1957 or 1958. In the early 1960s, Bramin's ad campaigns promised "Deres garanti for kvalitet form og function" or “Quality, form, and function: guaranteed,” using strong, modern imagery. From then on, the more traditionally-oriented N.A. Jørgensens Møbelfabrik took a back seat. It was not until the mid-1960s, however, that the striking Bramin logo was created, with the rounded, lowercase central “a” standing out from the remaining block letters.

In its heydey, Bramin collaborated with many well respected Danish designers, such as Johannes Andersen, Hans Olsen, Kurt Østervig, and Frank Reenskaug. However, Bramin’s most successful relationship was undoubtedly with H.W Klein, a Norwegian-born designer who moved to Denmark in 1960 to work for the company. Klein's most notable design is the Ønskestolen (mid-1960s), a padded leather lounge chair on a five-star swivel base, but he was also known for wide range of living room suites, dining suites, and storage options. Other memorable Bramin pieces include the classic Rocking Chair No. 182 by Reenskaug (circa 1958) and the idiosyncratically asymmetrical Chair No. 168 by Olsen (circa 1956).

For decades, the region of Bramming was a major hub for the Danish furniture industry, boasting 20 factories at its peak. Particularly hard hit by the global recession in the early-1980s, many Bramming-based businesses closed, Bramin included. After the closure, Klein moved to San Francisco. Though much of Bramin's history has been lost over time, the company's prolific furniture output has found a vibrant place in today's vintage market.