Mogens Koch Walnut

Exemplary designs for wood chairs, cabinets, desks and tables are part of the legacy associated with Rud Rasmussen, an iconic Danish furniture manufacturer that collaborated with some of the world’s best known and universally revered Scandinavian modernists.

Rud Rasmussen Snedkerier was established in 1869 in Copenhagen. The workshop’s founder, cabinetmaker Rudolph Rasmussen, was raised in a family of carpenters and had initially specialized in oak furniture. It wasn’t long before the business had grown — in 1876, Rasmussen was operating out of a four-storey factory, and by the end of the 19th century, the manufacturer had forged relationships with esteemed Danish architects including Vilhelm Dahlerup and Thorvald Bindesbøll.

With Rudolph Rasmussen's passing in 1904, the founder’s sons, Rudolph and Victor, took control of the company. They realized their father's dream of expanding the business — the firm had by then been accepting commissions from Copenhagen City Hall and was soon producing furniture for the likes of the police station, the postal service, ministries, technical universities and hospitals. More longstanding collaborations with legendary cabinetmakers and architects came into play, too.

Rud Rasmussen partnered with Mogens Koch, Børge Mogensen, Hans Wegner and Kaare Klint, the founder of the design school at Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. The manufacturer is known to collectors for producing Koch’s versatile bookcases, and, in 1933, Rud Rasmussen debuted Klint’s Safari chair — a clever and timeless interpretation of campaign furniture.

Carl Hansen and Søn acquired Rud Rasmussen in 2011.

Find vintage Rud Rasmussen seating, case pieces and decorative objects on 1stDibs.

Scandinavian modernism is perhaps the warmest and most organic iteration of modernist design. The work of the designers associated with vintage Scandinavian modern furniture was founded on centuries-old beliefs in both quality craftsmanship and the ideal that beauty should enhance even the humblest accessories of daily life.

ORIGINS OF SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN 

• Emerged in the 1930s 
• Originated primarily in Denmark, Sweden and Finland
• Introduced in the United States in mid-20th century
• Informed by the Bauhaus and modernism; influenced American mid-century modernism  

CHARACTERISTICS OF SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

• Bold, clean lines and simple, sturdy symmetries
• Use of natural materials — native woods such as pine, ash and beech
• Open, airy spaces
• Promotion of functionality
• Emphasis on craftsmanship; rooted in cabinetry profession and traditional construction techniques
• Minimal ornamentation (little to no embellishment)
• A neutral or light color palette owing to prominence of light woods

SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

• Alvar Aalto
• Hans Wegner
• Kaare Klint
• Arne Jacobsen
• Greta Magnusson Grossman 
• Finn Juhl
• Arne Vodder
• Verner Panton

ICONIC SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS

• Ant chair
• Grasshopper table lamp
• Wishbone chair
• Stool 60
• Artichoke lamp

VINTAGE SCANDINAVIAN MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

The gentle, organic contours that are typical of Scandinavian design appear in the furnishings and decor created by Danish, Finnish and Swedish designers not as a stylistic gesture, but rather as a practical, ergonomic — and, as importantly, elegant — response to the human form.

Each nation produced exceptional talents in all areas of the applied arts, yet each had its forté. Sweden was home to Greta Magnusson Grossman and Bruno Mathsson — creators of the classic Grasshopper lighting series and Berlin daybed, respectively — but the country excelled most notably at ceramics. In the 1920s at the great Gustavsberg porcelain manufactory, Wilhelm Kåge introduced pieces in the Scandinavian style based on influences from folklore to Cubism; his skills were passed on to his versatile and inspired pupils Berndt Friberg and Stig Lindberg.

Likewise, Finland produced a truly ingenious Scandinavian modern furniture designer in the architect Alvar Aalto, a master at melding function and artistic form in works like the Paimio chair, created in collaboration with his first wife, Aino. Yet Finnish glassware was pre-eminent, crafted in expressive, sculptural designs by Tapio Wirkkala and Timo Sarpaneva.

The Danes excelled at chairs. Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen were exemplars of the country’s facility with wood, particularly teak. 

Wegner created such iconic pieces as the Round chair and the Wishbone chair; Jacobsen — while the revolutionary architect and furniture innovator produced the best-selling plywood Ant chair — designed two classic upholstered pieces of the 1950s: the Swan chair and Egg chair. The list of great Danes could go on and on, including Finn Juhl, a stylistic maverick and maker of the bold Chieftain chair; Poul Kjaerholm, with his lean metal-and-rattan aesthetic; and Verner Panton, who introduced a vibrant Pop note into international design.

Today, decades after their heyday, the prolific, ever-evolving Scandinavian modernists continue to amaze and delight, and interior designers all over the world use their pieces to bring warmth to any given space.

On 1stDibs, you will note both instantly recognizable vintage Scandinavian modern chairs, sofas, rugs and tables — those that have earned iconic status over time — and many new discoveries.