Jens Risom Style
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Walnut
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century American Scandinavian Modern Chairs
Canvas, Cotton, Maple
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Linen, Upholstery, Walnut
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Linen, Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Mahogany
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Naugahyde, Walnut
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Naugahyde, Mahogany
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Walnut
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Mohair, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Brass
Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Oak, Leather
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
Maple
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Beech
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Chrome
Vintage 1950s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Walnut
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Brass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Mohair, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Walnut, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Tables
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Walnut
Vintage 1950s Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Faux Leather, Cedar
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
Bouclé, Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1940s American Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Cotton, Wood
Vintage 1940s American Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Cotton, Wood
Vintage 1950s Danish Armchairs
Teak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Mohair, Walnut
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Maple
Mid-20th Century American Modern Dining Room Tables
Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
Oak, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
Oak, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
Oak, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Oak, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
Oak, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Ceramic, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Walnut
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Jens Risom Style For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Jens Risom Style?
A Close Look at Mid-Century Modern Furniture
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Emerged during the mid-20th century
- Informed by European modernism, Bauhaus, International style, Scandinavian modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
- A heyday of innovation in postwar America
- Experimentation with new ideas, new materials and new forms flourished in Scandinavia, Italy, the former Czechoslovakia and elsewhere in Europe
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Simplicity, organic forms, clean lines
- A blend of neutral and bold Pop art colors
- Use of natural and man-made materials — alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak; steel, fiberglass and molded plywood
- Light-filled spaces with colorful upholstery
- Glass walls and an emphasis on the outdoors
- Promotion of functionality
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
- Charles and Ray Eames
- Eero Saarinen
- Milo Baughman
- Florence Knoll
- Harry Bertoia
- Isamu Noguchi
- George Nelson
- Danish modernists Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, whose emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship influenced American designers and vice versa
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
- Eames lounge chair
- Nelson daybed
- Florence Knoll sofa
- Egg chair
- Womb chair
- Noguchi coffee table
- Barcelona chair
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.
Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
- Who is Jens Risom?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Jens Risom was a Danish designer. Many people credit him with bringing the modern style of Scandinavian design to the U.S. He is well-known for his chairs, which feature angled seat backs often upholstered with webbing. On 1stDibs, find a selection of Jens Risom furniture.
- Was Jens Risom Danish?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Yes, Jens Risom was Danish. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 8, 1916, and attended Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design. Following his graduation, Risom moved to the U.S., where he lived for the rest of his life. On 1stDibs, find a collection of Jens Risom furniture.
- Who sells Jens Risom rockers?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Normally, vintage furniture dealers or auction and online platforms specializing in authentic vintage furniture sell Jens Risom rockers. From time to time, rocking chairs produced by the Danish designer may appear at thrift shops and secondhand stores or be available directly from individuals who own them. On 1stDibs, find a selection of Jens Risom chairs.
Read More
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Iconic Furniture Makes This 1958 Midwestern Home a True Mid-Century Gem
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The Ultimate Guide to Types of Tables for the Home
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Why Is Italy Such a Hotbed of Cool Design?
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Cara Greenberg Wrote the Book on Mid-Century Modern Furniture. Here Are Her Auction Finds
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Jochum Rodgers Has Long Brought the Best of 20th-Century Design to Berlin and Beyond
Opened by Hans-Peter Jochum some 40 years ago, the pioneering gallery specializes in mid-century gems but also spotlights contemporary pieces by European artists and makers.
A Guide to Herman Miller’s Most Iconic Furniture
The prolific manufacturer has partnered with many of the world’s top designers since opening its doors in 1923. Here are some of the company’s greatest hits, which helped transform the American home and office.