Kai Kristiansen Rosewood Dining Chairs, circa 1957-1970
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Kai Kristiansen Rosewood Dining Chairs, circa 1957-1970
About the Item
- Creator:Kai Kristiansen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.71 in (78 cm)Width: 21.26 in (54 cm)Depth: 21.26 in (54 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1957-1970
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9907847901
Kai Kristiansen
With a passion for math and engineering, Kai Kristiansen has created high-quality wood furniture for decades. Beginning in the 1950s, his chairs, modular shelving and other furnishings were made in the style that would become internationally renowned as Danish modern and boasted clean lines, perfected functionality and exacting craftsmanship.
Born in Denmark, Kristiansen trained in cabinetmaking before studying with Kaare Klint, often cited as the “father of modern Danish design,” at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. At just 26 years old, Kristiansen opened his own studio.
Kristiansen had his mid-century breakthrough in 1956 with the Chair #42, which he made with Schou Andersen. Unlike most other chairs at the time, Chair #42’s armrests, with their wealth of radical angles, were connected to the back rather than the front legs. This unconventional flourish makes the backrest appear as though it is floating in midair above the seat. Kristiansen’s next innovation was a modular wall system in 1957 — three years ahead of Dieter Rams’s more famous 606 Universal Shelving System. Called the Reolsystem Wall Unit, produced by SB Feldballes Møbelfabrik, it’s also known as the FM Wall Unit as FM/Fornem Møbelkunst began producing it in the 1960s. Kristiansen would go on to work with other leading Danish furniture manufacturers such as Magnus Olesen, Fritz Hansen and Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik, designing everything from chairs and desks to sideboards and cabinets, frequently in rosewood and teak. (The latter was a sought-after wood by Scandinavian modern designers.)
While many of Kristiansen’s timeless designs remain in production, such as his Paper Knife sofa, which was reintroduced by Miyazaki Chair Factory in 2008, and his 1950s Entré collection, which was relaunched with Great Dane Furniture in 2016, others are prized as vintage mid-century pieces. Today, Kristiansen is still at work on new furniture with an expert eye to thoughtfully functional designs that are made to last.
Find a collection of vintage Kai Kristiansen furniture on 1stDibs.
- Ten Restored Kai Kristiansen Rosewood Dining Chairs Including Custom UpholsteryBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKSet of 10 model 42 rosewood dining chairs with adjustable backrest by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik. The chairs have Kai Kristiansens typical light and elegant design that ...Category
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- Eight Restored Kai Kristiansen Rosewood Dining Chairs Custom Upholstery IncludedBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKSet of eight fully restored, 1960s rosewood dining chairs by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik with custom upholstery. The chairs have Kai Kristiansens typical light and elegan...Category
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- Twelve Restored Kai Kristiansen Rosewood Dining Chairs - Inc. Custom UpholsteryBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKSet of twelve fully restored, 1960s rosewood dining chairs by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik. The chairs have Kai Kristiansens typical light and elegant design that make them fit in easily where you want them in your home - a design that was so uniqe that his colleague the famous designer Hans J. Wegner characterized model 42 as beautiful from all angles when the chair with it´s unique backrest swivel function was revealed in 1956. The chairs are in very good condition as they have been fully restored, sanded by hand and refinished by our experienced workshop to insure that they are in very good condition with only minimal signs of age and use and will be reupholstered without additional cost in fabric of your choice from "Kvadrat" / standard leathers from "Sorensen Leather" or for additional price luxury leathers (Elegance, Vegetal, Rustic, Pure and Royal Nubuck). Kai Kristiansen was one of the last pupils of the famous architect Kaare Klint who founded modern Danish design and laid the foundation for the "Danish Modern" style. During the years 1958-78 Kristiansen worked in his business in Aarhus owned jointly by himself and furniture maker Illum Wikkelsø (1919-99). Kristiansens works met their most intense demand during a few decades from 1950, then production of them was discontinued. However, several of them are now being produced again by the Japanese furniture producer Miyazaki Chair...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Rosewood, Leather
- 1960s Kai Kristiansen Fully Restored and Reupholstered Rosewood Dining ChairsBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKRosewood dining chair with adjustable swivel backrest by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik. The chair have Kai Kristiansens typical light and elegant design that make it fit in...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
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- Set of Four Restored Kai Kristiansen Rosewood Dining Chairs - Custom UpholsteryBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKSet of four 1960s fully restored rosewood dining chairs with adjustable backrest by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik. he chairs have been restored and refinished by our experi...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
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- Set of Six Restored Kai Kristiansen Rosewood Dining Chairs - Custom UpholsteryBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKSet of six fully restored, 1960s rosewood dining chairs by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik. The chairs have Kai Kristiansens typical light and elegant design that make them fit in easily where you want them in your home - a design that was so uniqe that his colleague the famous designer Hans J. Wegner characterized model 42 as beautiful from all angles when the chair with it´s unique backrest swivel function was revealed in 1956. The chairs are in very good condition as they have been fully restored, sanded by hand and refinished by our experienced workshop to insure that they are in very good condition with only minimal signs of age and use and will be reupholstered without additional cost in fabric of your choice from "Kvadrat" / standard leathers from "Sorensen Leather" or for additional price luxury leathers (Elegance, Vegetal, Rustic, Pure and Royal Nubuck). Kai Kristiansen was one of the last pupils of the famous architect Kaare Klint who founded modern Danish design and laid the foundation for the "Danish Modern" style. During the years 1958-78 Kristiansen worked in his business in Aarhus owned jointly by himself and furniture maker Illum Wikkelsø (1919-99). Kristiansens works met their most intense demand during a few decades from 1950, then production of them was discontinued. However, several of them are now being produced again by the Japanese furniture producer Miyazaki Chair...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRosewood