Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Warm, exceptionally versatile and crafted with a range of appealing materials, vintage Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen furniture showcases the Danish duo’s penchant for innovation and durable design. For decades, the pair created sleek coffee tables, seductive lounge chairs and other pieces that are characterized by the practicality and elegance commonly attributed to Scandinavian modernism.
Both Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen attended what is now the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, with Mølgaard-Nielsen having completed his studies under the Danish furniture design pioneer and architect Kaare Klint. Trained as an architect and cabinetmaker, Hvidt established his own firm in 1940 and taught at his alma mater for a few years. After they won a design competition held in Stockholm, Hvidt partnered with Mølgaard-Nielsen in 1944 to establish their firm in Copenhagen.
The collaboration between Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen yielded more than 250 designs and lasted over 30 years. Aside from having created a wardrobe for the Queen of Denmark as well as numerous architectural structures, the pair’s flagship achievements include 1944’s teak Portex chair, which is Denmark’s first-ever stacking chair (and is occasionally attributed to Hvidt alone), and the AX chair.
A masterpiece of technical expertise and innovative woodworking, the sculptural AX armchair shares commonalities with the work of legendary Finnish designer Alvar Aalto — whose output included similarly curvaceous seating such as the Paimio armchair, often designed in partnership with his wife, Aino. It features double-curved laminated wood in the seat and back — which could be mass-produced — and is an early example of knock-down furniture. This meant that it could be easily dismantled and assembled at its destination, which rendered the chair economical for transport on cargo ships and therefore could reach a worldwide audience.
While vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard furniture isn’t as popular as the work of Finn Juhl, a like-minded Danish modernist who helped popularize Scandinavian design in America as well as the use of teak in furniture, the innovative AX chair is similarly as expressive and inviting as Juhl’s seating. The AX was designed in collaboration with manufacturer Fritz Hansen during the late 1940s and went into production in 1950. It gave way to a series that includes tables and other types of seating.
Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen collaborated regularly with Fritz Hansen, France & Søn and Søborg Møbelfabrik. Their work can be found in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen’s Design Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.
Find vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard dining tables, coffee tables, modular sofas, storage cabinets and more on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Bouclé, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Lambskin, Sheepskin, Ash
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Bouclé, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Bouclé, Teak
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Steel, Chrome
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Bouclé, Beech
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Leather
1960s Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Teak, Oak
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Oak, Walnut
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Papercord, Teak
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Brass
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Cane, Wood, Beech
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Rope, Teak
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Rosewood, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Wool, Upholstery, Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Leather, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Teak, Wood, Cane, Wicker, Upholstery, Fabric
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Wool, Rattan, Teak
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Leather, Upholstery, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Foam, Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Upholstery, Oak, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Upholstery, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Leather, Oak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Brass
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Cane, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Papercord, Oak
1950s European Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Teak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Rattan, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Teak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Mohair, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Wool, Beech, Teak
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Upholstery, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Leather, Oak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Rattan, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Walnut
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Upholstery, Cane, Wood, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Teak, Upholstery
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Upholstery, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Latvian Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Oak, Papercord
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Papercord, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Oak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Fabric, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Papercord, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Hvidt & Mølgaard Seating
Teak