Hans J. Wegner CH28 Lounge Chair, 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Hans J. Wegner (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 28.35 in (72 cm)Width: 22.84 in (58 cm)Depth: 28.55 in (72.5 cm)Seat Height: 13.39 in (34 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Reupholstered. Repaired. Rewoven.
- Seller Location:Shibuya-ku, JP
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9751239441442
Sawbuck Chair
Danish designer Hans J. Wegner (1914–2007) got his start as a 14-year-old apprentice to Danish master cabinetmaker H.F. Stahlberg, and that lifelong dedication to the art of woodworking can be seen in his 1952 CH29P chair. Nicknamed the Sawbuck chair, its legs recall the sawbuck, or sawhorse, workbenches used by carpenters but reimagined for a modern design that combines clean lines and comfort.
Known as the “Master of the Chair,” Wegner would create over 500 variations on seating across his career, his practice leading the way in the style and attention to quality that would define Danish modern design in the 1950s and ’60s. Each chair he introduced — the Flag Halyard chair, the Round chair and many more — balanced aesthetics and function, often comprising just a few simple components as part of his “continuous process of purification” in his designs.
The Sawbuck chair followed a 1951 lounge chair that also had tapered legs and a large H-shape frame that swayed back against a short H-shape frame. The 1952 model refined this idea. Wegner added cutout details on two sides of its back and placed an emphasis on ergonomics by widening its upholstered seat at the front. Paired with the concave backrest, the Sawbuck chair accommodates a variety of sitting postures while still being a sculptural object.
Carl Hansen & Søn, the Danish furniture company with which Wegner collaborated on many of his designs, took the Sawbuck chair out of production in the 1970s. Two decades later, at the encouragement of Wegner’s family, it was relaunched in a variety of wood types and upholstery options to fit into contemporary interiors as an update to the elegant original design.
Hans J. Wegner
Best known for his chairs and other seating pieces — though a master of many furniture types like sofas and tables — Hans Wegner was a prolific designer whose elegant, often ebullient, forms and devotion to the finest methods in joinery made "Danish Modern" a popular byword for stylish, well-made furniture in the mid-20th century.
Wegner considered himself a carpenter first and a furniture designer second. Like his peers Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl, Wegner believed that striking aesthetics in furniture were based on a foundation of practicality: a chair must be comfortable and sturdy before it is chic.
In keeping with that tenet, several of Hans Wegner’s best chair designs have their roots in traditional seating forms. The Peacock chair (designed in 1947) is a throne-like adaptation of the Windsor chair; pieces from the China chair series (begun in 1944) as well as the 1949 Wishbone chair, with its distinctive Y-shaped back splat, are derived from 17th-century Ming seating pieces, as is the upholstered Ox chair (1960). Wegner’s comfy Papa Bear chair (1951) is an almost surreally re-scaled English wingback chair.
Wegner’s most representative piece, the Round chair (1949), gained a footnote in political history when it was used on the TV stage of the first Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960. That chair, along with Wegner’s more bravura designs — for example, the 1963 Shell chair, with its curved surfboard-shaped seat — bring a quietly sculptural presence to a room.
Wegner was a designer who revered his primary material — wood — and it shows. His wood gathers patina and character with age; every Hans Wegner piece testifies to the life it has led.
Find vintage Hans Wegner lounge chairs, armchairs, daybeds and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Yokohama-shi, Japan
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Hans Wegner GE-240 SofaBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Shibuya-ku, 13Hans J. Wegner. He is said to have designed more than 500 chairs during his lifetime and was one of the most influential masters in the history of Danish furniture design. The GETAMA...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Børge Mogensen Spanish Chair , 1960sBy Børge MogensenLocated in Shibuya-ku, 13The SPANISH CHAIR designed by Danish master Børje Mogensen. It is one of the famous masterpieces he manufactured after being inspired during a trip to Spain. Though it is produced by...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Brazilian Lounge ChairBy Carlo Hauner and Martin EislerLocated in Shibuya-ku, 131950s (estimated) Brazilian vintage lounge chair. Native Brazilian wood, invuia, also known as Brazilian walnut, has a great appeal due to its deep texture. The details created by mo...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- "Cubo" Lounge Chairs by Jorge ZalszupinBy Jorge ZalszupinLocated in Shibuya-ku, 13Jorge Zalszupin (1922-2020), Brazilian architect and designer, founded the furniture design and manufacturing company L'Atelier in São Paulo, Brazil, in the 1950s. It became a benchm...Category
Vintage 1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Arne Jacobsen Swan Settee, Model 3321 Fritz HansenBy Arne JacobsenLocated in Shibuya-ku, 13Model FH3321 Swan sofa by Fritz Hansen, designed by Arne Jacobsen for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen in 1958. The innovative design and form, consisting only of lines, gives an or...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsAluminum
- 1970s Vintage Ercol Love Seat BenchBy ErcolLocated in Shibuya-ku, 13The Ercol loveseat is a representative of UK modernity and is still a popular brand founded by designer Lucian R. Ercolani in 1920. The smooth form of the seat, made of hard, bend-re...Category
Vintage 1970s English Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsBeech, Elm
- Hans Wegner CH28 Wood ArmchairBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Los Angeles, CARare Hans Wegner CH28 all wood armchair, 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Hans Wegner Danish Lounge Chair CH28 Sawback, 1950s ScandinavianBy Carl Hansen & Søn, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Lyon, FROriginal CH28 sawback lounge chair designed by Hans Wegner, Denmark, for Carl Hansen & Sons in massive teak. Minor sign.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Hans J. Wegner "CH28" Lounge Chair in Patinated Oak, Carl Hansen & Sons, 1950sBy Carl Hansen & Søn, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Odense, DKEarly production Hans J. Wegner "CH28" lounge chair in patinated oak and dark green vintage upholstery. This example is from the early 1950s and has the most amazing patina and wood ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Sawbuck Chair, CH28, by Hans Wegner, 1951By Carl Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Oakland, CAModel CH28, “Sawbuck” Danish lounge chair designed by Hans Wegner and produced by Carl Hansen in Denmark, 1951. The chair features a simple and elegant design, with a distinctive X-s...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Paire de fauteuils “Ch28” Par Hans J. Wegner Pour Carl Hansen & SønBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Bruxelles, BEFauteuils modèle “CH28” conçus par Hans J. Wegner en 1951 pour Carl Hansen & Søn, Danemark. En chêne patiné avec dossier et assise en cuir noir.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Pair of CH44 Lounge Chairs by Hans J. Wegner, Denmark, 1960sBy Hans J. Wegner, Carl Hansen & SønLocated in Stockholm, SEDesigned in 1965 by Hans J. Wegner. This pair is from the 1970s, produced by Carl Hansen & Søn in Denmark. Very good original condition.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsRope
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Design Icon Ilse Crawford on Her Colorful New Hans Wegner Chairs
If anyone is brave, humble and adept enough to recolor these mid-century masterpieces, it’s Ilse Crawford. Here, she gives us the details on her five earthy paint choices and tells us how she feels about design collaborations.