Mid-Century Modern Slipper Lounge Chair by Jens Risom for Knoll
View Similar Items
Mid-Century Modern Slipper Lounge Chair by Jens Risom for Knoll
About the Item
- Creator:Jens Risom (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 27.5 in (69.85 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1990-1999
- Date of Manufacture:1990s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1273231768082
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.
- Matching Pair of Mid-Century Modern Parsons Slipper Lounge ChairsBy SwaimLocated in Philadelphia, PAA classic pair of decorator slipper lounge chairs circa 1970's and made by Swaim. Well made chairs. Fabric is original and needs recovering. Foam and padding are soft.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Pair Mid-Century Modern White Leather Slipper Lounge Chairs by Giovanni OffrediBy Giovanni Offredi, SaporitiLocated in Philadelphia, PAA very rare pair of chairs (model P64) designed by Giovanni Offredi and produced by Saporiti in 1972. The chairs feature polyurethane interior foam and covered in their original stit...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Mid-Century Modern Slipper Lounge Chairs in Grey Tweed with Bronze FramesBy Florence KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAA simple and sleek modern pair of slipper chairs after Florence Knoll circa 1970's. These feature their original upholstery with bronze f...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Mid-Century Modern Red Wire Diamond Lounge Patio Chair by Harry Bertoia KnollBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Philadelphia, PAA classic diamond chair designed by Harry Bertoia and produced by Knoll. This chair features a red factory powder coat. Always used indoors but could be used as a patio chair.Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWire
- Matching Pair of Midcentury Italian Postmodern Red Lounge Chairs by CappelliniBy CappelliniLocated in Philadelphia, PAAn ultra sleek matching pair of slipper chairs made by Cappellini in Italy. They feature minimal steel frames and red fabric cushions. Very comfortable chairs. Price includes the pai...Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Mid Century Post Modern Swivel Lounge Chairs or Slipper Chairs by BernhardtBy BernhardtLocated in Philadelphia, PAA contemporary matching pair of swivel lounge chairs produced by Bernhardt. These feature polished stainless swivel bases in a bronze color Naugahyde upholstery.Category
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- One Vintage Jens Risom for Knoll Lounge ChairsBy Jens Risom, KnollLocated in Pasadena, TXOne mid-century modern armless lounge chair designed by Jens Risom for Knoll originally in 1946. This early design has a hard maple frame with new linen upholstery.Category
Vintage 1950s Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Maple
$1,760 Sale Price20% Off - Pair of Bouclé Slipper Chairs Designed by Jens Risom for H.G. Knoll AssociatesBy Knoll, Jens RisomLocated in Brooklyn, NYJens Risom for H.G. Knoll Associates armless slipper chairs composed of upholstered seats supported by walnut bases (first appearing in the 1942 Knoll catalog). There is a slight d...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Walnut
- Pair of Jens Risom Style Slipper ChairsBy Jens RisomLocated in Brooklyn, NYTwo vintage-modern walnut slipper chairs with upholstered seat and back, designed in the manner of Jens Risom. This stylish and comfortable set of chairs with tapered legs and thick ...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
$2,030 Sale Price / set27% Off - Pair of Jens Risom Scoop Chairs for Hans KnollBy Jens RisomLocated in San Francisco, CAPair of Jens Risom scoop chairs for Hans Knoll A pair of very early Knoll post war design scoop chairs by Jens Risom. Each has been completely restored in a luxurious Sandra Jordan ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsAlpaca
$8,900 / set - Mid-Century Modern Scoop Leather Lounge Chair By Jens Risom For KnollBy Jens Risom, KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYMid-Century Modern, scoop, lounge chair by Jens Risom for Knoll features a minimal, black lacquered maple frame with a floating scoop seat newly upholstered in mustard yellow, textur...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Maple
- Mid-Century Modern Jens Risom Style Slipper ChairBy Jens RisomLocated in La Mesa, CAMid Century Modern slipper lounge chair in the style of Jens Risom. Newly re-upholstered in an off white/cream checkered fabric. One of the most comfortable chairs you will ever sit ...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
$880 Sale Price37% Off