Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Corner Sofa for Fritz Hansen, Denmark, 1940s
View Similar Items
Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Corner Sofa for Fritz Hansen, Denmark, 1940s
About the Item
- Creator:Fritz Hansen (Manufacturer),Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 70.87 in (180 cm)Depth: 29.53 in (75 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. The sofa has its original, light green velour upholstery in vintage condition. Traces of wear and use. Although the upholstery looks good at first glance, we would recommend reupholstering.
- Seller Location:Utrecht, NL
- Reference Number:Seller: 202106141stDibs: LU2947330105992
Fritz Hansen
When the Copenhagen-based furniture maker Fritz Hansen opened for business more than 140 years ago, the company — which today styles itself The Republic of Fritz Hansen — adhered to the traditional, time-honored Danish values of craftsmanship in woodworking and joinery. Yet thanks to the postwar innovations of Arne Jacobsen and others, Fritz Hansen would become the country’s leader in Scandinavian modern design using new, forward-looking materials and methods.
Fritz Hansen started his company in 1872, specializing in the manufacture of small furniture parts. In 1915, the firm became the first in Denmark to make chairs using steam-bent wood (a technique most familiar from birch used in the ubiquitous café chairs by Austrian maker Thonet). At the time, Fritz Hansen was best known for seating that featured curved legs and curlicue splats and referenced 18th-century Chippendale designs.
In the next few decades, the company promoted simple, plain chairs with slatted backs and cane or rush seats designed by such proto-modernist masters as Kaare Klint and Søren Hansen. Still, the most aesthetically striking piece Fritz Hansen produced in the first half of the 20th century was arguably the China chair of 1944 by Hans Wegner — and that piece, with its yoke-shaped bentwood back- and armrest, was based on seating manufactured in China during the Ming dynasty. (Wegner was moved by portraits he’d seen of Danish merchants in the Chinese chairs.)
Everything changed in 1952 with Arne Jacobsen’s Ant chair. The collaboration between the architect and Fritz Hansen officially originated in 1934 — that year, Jacobsen created his inaugural piece for the manufacturer, the solid beechwood Bellevue chair for a restaurant commission. The Ant chair, however, was the breakthrough.
With assistance from his then-apprentice Verner Panton, Jacobsen designed the Ant chair for the cafeteria of a Danish healthcare company called Novo Nordisk. The chair was composed of a seat and backrest formed from a single piece of molded plywood attached, in its original iteration, to three tubular metal legs. Its silhouette suggests the shape of the insect’s body, and the lightweight, stackable chair and its biomorphic form became an international hit.
Jacobsen followed with more plywood successes, such as the Grand Prix chair of 1957. The following year he designed the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen and its furnishings, including the Egg chair and the Swan chair. Those two upholstered pieces, with their lush, organic frames made of fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane, have become the two chairs most emblematic of mid-20th-century cool. Moreover, the Egg and Swan led Fritz Hansen to fully embrace new man-made materials, like foam, plastic and steel wire used to realize the avant-garde creations of later generations of designers with whom the firm collaborated, such as Piet Hein, Jørn Utzon (the architect of the Sydney Opera House) and Verner Panton. If the Fritz Hansen of 1872 would not now recognize his company, today’s connoisseurs certainly do.
Find a collection of vintage Fritz Hansen tables, lounge chairs, sofas and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen 3-Seat Sofa for Fritz Hansen, Denmark 1940sBy Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Utrecht, NLOrla Mølgaard-Nielsen's significant work has been mainly carried out together with his partner, fellow Danish architect-designer, Peter Hvidt, but the designer’s earlier models -like...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Armchair "Model 1748" for Fritz HansenBy Peter Hvidt, Orla Mølgaard-NielsenLocated in Utrecht, NLPeter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen’s design language operates as a set of relations linking the everyday world - composed of objects, spaces, people - to the cultural ideologies t...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Upholstered Danish Cabinetmaker Banana Sofa, Denmark, 1940sLocated in Utrecht, NLDanish modern style – it is uncomplicated, sophisticated, playful, and timeless. Form follows function, and high-quality, natural materials bring lightness and warmth. These are the basic principles of the era’s furniture design, and therefore of this three-seater sofa as well. This Danish banana sofa wraps...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Ole Wanscher “Model 1673” High Back Chairs for Fritz Hansen, Denmark 1940sBy Fritz Hansen, Ole WanscherLocated in Utrecht, NLThe simple and refined aesthetic of this pair of chairs stems from Ole Wanscher’s reinvention of classic forms, for which he became a key-player of the Danish mid-century movement. ...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Ole Wanscher “Model 1673” High Back Chair for Fritz Hansen, Denmark, 1940sBy Fritz Hansen, Ole WanscherLocated in Utrecht, NLThe simple and refined aesthetic of this chair stems from Ole Wanscher’s reinvention of classic forms, for which he became a key-player of the Danish mid-century movement. In this m...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Danish Cabinetmaker Three-Seater Banana Sofa, Denmark 1940sLocated in Utrecht, NLThis beautiful Danish three-seater sofa recalls the Art Deco style of the 1930s with the recognizable touch of Danish Modernism. Thanks to its elegantly curved shape, this type of so...Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- 3-Seat Sofa for Fritz Hansen by Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Denmark 1940sBy Fritz Hansen, Orla Mølgaard-NielsenLocated in Bridgeport, CTOrla Mølgaard-Nielsen's significant work has been mainly carried out together with his partner, Peter Hvidt, but the designer’s earlier models - like this sofa - are widely renowned ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool, Beech
- 1940s Danish Birds of Paradise Chair by Orla Mølgaard Nielsen for Fritz HansenBy Fritz Hansen, Peter Hvidt, Josef Frank, Orla Mølgaard-NielsenLocated in Shepperton, SurreyA 1940s Danish lounge chair by Orla Molgaard-Nielsen for Fritz Hansen. This elegant vintage lounge chair has been newly reupholstered in stunning Arbre Chinois fabric by Schumacher....Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Fabric
$3,362 Sale Price25% Off - Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen "Ax" Lounge Chair for Fritz HansenBy Peter Hvidt, Fritz Hansen, Orla Mølgaard-NielsenLocated in Los Angeles, CAA striking chair designed by architects Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen in collaboration with the famous artisan company Fritz Hansen in Denmark circa 1960s. Our chair uses quali...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Foam, Laminate, Wood
- Minerva Sofa by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen for France & Søn, Denmark 19By Peter Hvidt, Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, France & SønLocated in Hellouw, NLStunning ‘minerva’ sofa by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen for France & Søn from the 1960s. Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen have played a significant role in the internatio...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Teak
- Peter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard Nielsen for Fritz Hansen "Ax" Cowhide Lounge ChairBy Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter Hvidt, Fritz HansenLocated in Philadelphia, PADesigned by two of the most iconic and critically acclaimed Danish designers, the Ax chair was brought to life by Peter Hvidt in partnership with Orla Molgaard Nielsen for production...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsCowhide, Beech, Teak
- Peter Hvidt, Orla Molgaard Nielsen "3 seater sofa" Soborg MoblerBy Peter Hvidt, Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Soborg MoblerLocated in Shibuya City, JPThis is a 3-seater sofa designed by Danish designers Peter Hvidtand Orla Molgaard Nielsen, featuring a beautiful curved armrest. The overall design is clean and the seat is spacious ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsWood, Fabric