Sewing Box by Kai Kristiansen for Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik, Denmark, 1950

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Sewing Box by Kai Kristiansen for Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik, Denmark, 1950

About the Item

Beautiful sewing box designed by Kai Kristiansen, manufactured by Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik in Denmark, circa 1950. This beautiful piece is made of high quality tropical hardwood. It is a small table that has a wicker basket and a drawer with several small storage units, meant for sewing supplies. It is made with a fine eye for details and beautifully crafted. The combination of the deep brown wood and the natural color and structure of the wicker create a beautiful harmonious design with a sense of luxury. In good original condition with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patina. Danish designer Kai Kristiansen was born in 1929. Like many of Denmark's design greats, he apprenticed in cabinetmaking before enrolling, circa 1948, in the prestigious Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen under the highly influential designer Kaare Klint. At the age of 26, Kristiansen opened his own studio and began to create furniture in what would soon became known as the Danish modern style. His designs would be produced by well-known Danish manufacturers, such as Feldballes Møbelfabrik, Fornem Møbelkunst, Fritz Hansen, and Magnus Olesen. In true Danish modern fashion, Kristiansen favored well-joined teak and rosewood, evident equally in his chairs, desks, sideboards, and wall units. In 1956, he designed his most celebrated work, the No. 42 Chair for Schou Andersen. The organically curved back and pivoted armrests form a chair that is as beautiful as it is comfortable. The No. 42 was well-received by critics and enjoyed continued success as one of the most enduring Danish designs of the 20th century. Kristiansen's collaboration with Magnus Olesen brought about the sleek and sculptured No. 121 Lounge Chair. His modular FM Reolsystem Wall Unit (1957) for Feldballe Møbelfabrik met with success, not only in Scandinavia, but also throughout the rest of Europe and overseas in the United States. Because they were so difficult to manufacture, many of Kristiansen’s designs eventually went out of production. In 2014, Kristiansen collaborated with Miyazaki Chair Company in Japan to reimagine some of his classics designs, which resulted in the Handy Chair, 4110 Chair, and Paper Knife seating collection. Today, his vintage designs are highly collectible, and he is recognized as one of the most talented Scandinavian designers of the 20th century.

Creator:
Kai Kristiansen (Designer),Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik (Manufacturer)
Dimensions:
Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)Width: 28.35 in (72 cm)Depth: 16.93 in (43 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Hardwood,Wicker
Place of Origin:
Denmark
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1950
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Amsterdam, NL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU103987895143

Shop All Kai Kristiansen

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.