Jens Risom Mid Century Walnut Lounge Chair
About the Item
- Creator:Jens Risom (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)Depth: 24 in (60.96 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Unknown
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Countryside, IL
- Reference Number:
Risom Lounge Chair
Debuting in 1943, the Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll. It was the work of Jens Risom (1916–2016), who had only just moved from his native Denmark to the United States in 1939.
Risom was by then a graduate of business school and had studied under Danish architect and designer Kaare Klint at Copenhagen's School of Industrial Arts and Design (Hans Wegner, whose many iconic creations include the Wishbone chair, was among his classmates). In New York City, Risom found work as an interior designer before embarking on a freelance career as a furniture maker and textile designer when he met Hans Knoll, who was mere months into his venture and needed inventory. In the first Knoll catalogue, 15 of the 25 pieces listed were Risom designs, and the Risom lounge chair would follow a year later.
Owing to the rationing of materials during World War II, Risom turned to surplus parachute straps for use in the construction of his chair, binding the woven straps to a curving birchwood frame. The design was immediately popular for office interiors and is recognized as pivotal to the introduction of understated Danish modernism to the States.
Today, Knoll continues to manufacture the simple but strong Risom lounge chair, and it is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Jens Risom
The Danish-born Jens Risom brought the Scandinavian modern design sensibility to a wide audience in the United States. As the first designer for Knoll Inc., Risom introduced American buyers to the region’s enduring design values of simplicity, grace and craftsmanship.
Risom trained in furniture making at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design under Ole Wanscher, alongside classmates Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen. In 1939, a year after graduating from business school, Risom decided to move to the U.S.
While working for an interior designer in New York in 1941, he met Hans Knoll, and the businessman and the designer hit it off. They brought out their first line the next year, despite wartime materials restrictions. The signature piece — now a design icon — was a lounge chair with a striking, undulant birch frame and a seat made of webbed sub-military grade parachute straps. Risom was drafted into the army, and served as a translator under General George Patton. When he returned from the war, Risom clashed over furniture design ideals with his business partner’s new bride, Florence Knoll, the pioneering mid-century modernist who was schooled in the Bauhaus method, which favored furniture with strict, geometric metal frames. Risom then started his own company, Jens Risom Design.
In the course of his long career, Risom developed a stylistic vocabulary that was a reflection of the life of the man himself: his furniture has Danish warmth coupled with an American air of crisp efficiency. Vintage Risom chairs are almost instantly recognizable — the arms and seat backs are set at a distinctive angle that seems to invite people to sit back and relax, yet they know they can hop up in an instant, ready to go.
As you will see on these pages, Jens Risom is one of the great men of American modern design who made furniture that is unique and timeless.
Find a collection of vintage Jens Risom furniture on 1stDibs that includes lounge chairs, desks, coffee tables and more.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Countryside, IL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Jens Risom Mid Century Walnut Lounge ChairBy Jens RisomLocated in Countryside, ILJens Risom Mid Century Walnut Lounge Chair This lounge chair measures: 23.25 wide x 24 deep x 31.75 high, with a seat height of 19 an...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Jens Risom for Knoll Mid Century Strap Lounge Chairs, PairBy Knoll, Jens RisomLocated in Countryside, ILJens Risom for Knoll mid century strap lounge chairs - pair These chairs measure: 20 wide x 23 deep x 30 inches high, with a seat height of 15.5 inches ?All pieces of furniture...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Jens Risom Mid Century Walnut Lounge Chairs - PairBy Jens RisomLocated in Countryside, ILJens Risom Mid Century Walnut Lounge Chairs - Pair This lounge chair measures: 23.25 wide x 24 deep x 31.75 high, with a seat height of 19 and arm height/chair clearance 36.25 inche...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Jens Risom Mid Century Bracket Back Walnut Lounge ChairBy Jens RisomLocated in Countryside, ILJens Risom Mid Century Bracket Back Walnut Lounge Chair This lounge chair measures: 29 wide x 31 deep x 32 high, with a seat height of 15.5 and arm height/chair clearance 21.5 inche...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Jens Risom Mid Century Model U430 Walnut Lounge ChairBy Jens RisomLocated in Countryside, ILJens Risom Mid Century Model U430 Walnut Lounge Chair This lounge chair measures: 26 wide x 29 deep x 29.75 high, with a seat height of 15 and arm height/chair clearance 23.25 inche...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Jens Risom Mid Century Walnut and Cane Playboy Chairs - PairBy Jens RisomLocated in Countryside, ILJens Risom Mid Century Walnut and Cane Playboy Chairs - Pair Each chair measures: 22.5 wide x 23 deep x 32.25 high, with a seat height of 18.5 and arm height/chair clearance 26.5 in...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Cane, Walnut
- Jens Risom Walnut Lounge Chairs in Ivory Shearling, circa 1950sBy Jens RisomLocated in Saint Louis, MOIconic Mid-Century Modern Jens Risom lounge chairs expertly reupholstered in soft ivory shearling with professionally refinished walnut frames. An exem...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsHide, Walnut
- Jens Risom, Vostra Easy Lounge Chair for Walter KnollBy Walter Knoll, Jens Risom, KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYDesigned for Knoll circa 1950, this Vintage Jens Risom Vostra Chair is modern and elegant with its curved lines. This chair is in the mid-century mod...Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsCotton, Maple
- Mid Century Lounge Chair Attributed to Gunlocke after RisomBy Jens Risom, GunlockeLocated in New York, NYStylish Mid Century lounge chair design after Jens Risom, attributed to Gunlocke. The chair has orange vinyl cushions, and a solid wood (probably maple) frame. The chair is solid and...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Maple
- Jens Risom Mid-Century Modern Sculpted Walnut Playboy Lounge Chair, 1960sBy Jens RisomLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous Mid-Century Modern "Playboy" lounge chair or club chair By Jens Risom USA, 1960s Sculpted solid walnut frame, with original olive green Naugahyde upholstery. M...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Jens Risom Mid-Century Modern Sculpted Walnut Playboy Lounge Chair, 1960sBy Jens RisomLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous mid-century modern "Playboy" lounge chair or club chair By Jens Risom USA, 1960s Sculpted solid walnut frame, with original tan upholstery. Measures: 22.25"W x...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Jens Risom Lounge ChairsBy Jens RisomLocated in Atlanta, GAClean lined lounge chairs, designed by Jens Risom, American, circa 1960s. Risom's designs always give a nod to Danish modern design, and these chairs are no exception. They have clea...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
