Iconic Pk 91 Folding Stool by Poul Kjærholm for Fritz Hansen, DK 1982
About the Item
- Creator:Fritz Hansen (Cabinetmaker),Poul Kjærholm (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)Width: 22.84 in (58 cm)Depth: 17.72 in (45 cm)Seat Height: 14.57 in (37 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Antwerp, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4678239186782
Poul Kjærholm
A trained cabinetmaker, Poul Kjærholm’s use of industrial methods and materials in the 1960s brought a fresh, graceful, sleek new style to Danish modern design.
At what is now the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, Kjærholm studied under Hans Wegner and Jørn Utzon — an industrial designer and the architect of the celebrated Sydney Opera House. The latter greatly influenced Kjærholm’s furniture production techniques — although he employed natural materials such as cane and leather, to a far greater extent than his peers Kjærholm embraced the use of steel (rather than wood) framing for his chairs, daybeds and tables.
Kjærholm’s signal design was the PK22 chair of 1956, a low-slung leather lounger on a steel base. The ideas introduced in the PK22 — Kjærholm’s designs were named using a numeric system devised with his manufacturer, E. Kold Christensen — were refined throughout his career, as the offerings below show: the PK11 chair of 1957, with back and armrests formed by a semicircle of ash; the capacious, richly patinated leather seat of a vintage 1961 PK9 chair; the elegant rattan swoop of the PK 24 chaise longue (1965). The chaise longue's leather headrest, held in place by a steel counterweight, best shows Kjærholm's particular gift for combining technological advancements with a respect for traditional detailing.
While respectful of the past, Poul Kjærholm's sensibility is one of optimism and expectation. His was design for those who lived with verve and élan, and confidently anticipated the future.
Find a collection of vintage Poul Kjærholm furniture on 1stDibs.
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Antwerp, Belgium
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Iconic Pk 91 Folding Stool by Poul Kjærholm for by E. Kold Christensen, DK 1961By E. Kold Christensen, Poul KjærholmLocated in Antwerp, BEIconic PK 91 folding stool designed by Poul Kjærholm and manufactured by E. Kold Christensen, Denmark 1961. This stool is from an early production and has a matt chromed plated steel...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsSteel
- First Edition PK9 Tulip Chair by Poul Kjaerholm for E. Kold Christensen, DK 1961By E. Kold Christensen, Poul KjærholmLocated in Antwerp, BEFirst edition PK9 tulip chair by Poul Kjaerholm for E. Kold Christensen, Denmark 1961. This chair features a flat steel frame and the original cognac l...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- First Edition Pair ‘Dot’ Stools by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, Denmark 1960sBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Antwerp, BEFirst edition pair ‘DOT’ stools by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, Denmark 1960s. This three legged stool features nickel plated metal legs with teak seat top. Presented in its origi...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsMetal
- Set of Two Bar Stools by Piet Hein for Fritz Hansen, Denmark, 1960sBy Piet Hein, Fritz HansenLocated in Antwerp, BELovely set of two bar stools by Piet Hein for Fritz Hansen, Denmark, 1960s. These stools have chrome-plated frames and a brushed aluminum base with its original leather upholstery. O...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsAluminum
- Folding stool by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Denmark 1959By Ludvig Pontoppidan, Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter HvidtLocated in Antwerp, BERare folding stool designed by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen for Ludvig Pontoppidan, Denmark 1959. This chair is made out of solid oak and still has the original black leather ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Early ‘Egg’ armchair by designed by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, Denmark 1958By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in Antwerp, BEEarly ‘Egg’ armchair by designed by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, Denmark 1958. This piece features the original black leather upholstery and the first edition alumium base. Arne J...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Poul Kjaerholm PK91 Folding Stool by E. Kold ChristensenBy E. Kold Christensen, Poul KjærholmLocated in Highland, INKjaerholm's 1961 masterpiece, the PK91 stool made by E. Kold Christensen is the perfect distillation of his aesthetic. A minimalist form combining matte ch...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsSteel
- Poul Kjærholm Chair Model Pk91 StoolBy Poul Kjærholm, Fritz HansenLocated in Berkeley, CAThe PK91 folding stool designed by Poul Kjærholm epitomizes his ongoing adaption of historical furniture categories into his oeuvre and arsenal of expressions. The designer’s method ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsOak
- Poul Kjaerholm PK91 Folding Stool E. Kold Christensen, 1961By Poul KjærholmLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantIconic PK91 stool designed by Poul Kjaerholm and a first production manufactured by Ejvind Kold Christensen, Denmark 1961. This foldable stool has a matt ch...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsStainless Steel
- PK91 Footstool by Poul KjaerholmBy Poul KjærholmLocated in Los Angeles, CAPK91 folding footstool. Chromed metal and sienna brown leather. Stamped for Poul Kjaerholm.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Poul Kjaerholm, Early Production PK-91 Folding Stool, Ek-C StampedBy Poul KjærholmLocated in Wargrave, BerkshirePoul Kjaerholm for E-Kold Christensen, Denmark, 1960s. PK-91 Folding Stools in chromed steel with the original black leather . Stool is stamped and displays the early stepped joints ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather
- Poul Kjaerholm for E Kold Christensen, Early PK91 Folding Stool, Danish 1960sBy E. Kold Christensen, Poul KjærholmLocated in Wargrave, BerkshirePoul Kjaerholm for E Kold Christensen, Denmark, 1960s A PK-91 folding stool in chromed steel with vintage tan leather. Stool is stamped and displays the early stepped knuckle joints...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsSteel, Chrome