Kai Kristiansen 42
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
Wool, Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
Wool, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood, Fabric
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Faux Leather, Hardwood
20th Century Danish Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood, Leather
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
Velvet, Rosewood
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Beech
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Teak
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Hardwood, Teak
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Beech
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Hardwood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
Bouclé, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
Faux Leather, Hardwood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
Leather, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood, Fabric
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wool, Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Beech
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Beech
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Bouclé, Oak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak, Upholstery
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Faux Leather, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Leather, Hardwood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood, Wool
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Velvet, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fabric, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Jacaranda, Leather
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Hardwood
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sideboards
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
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Kai Kristiansen 42 For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Kai Kristiansen 42?
Kai Kristiansen for sale on 1stDibs
With a passion for math and engineering, Kai Kristiansen has created high-quality wood furniture for decades. Beginning in the 1950s, his coffee tables, 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.
Finding the Right Seating for You
With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.
Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.
Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.
The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.
Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.
With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.
Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.
No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.