Kurt Ostervig Model 58

Kurt Ejvind Østervig was born in 1912 in Odense, Denmark. He was originally trained and worked as a shipbuilding engineer. However, by the 1930s Østervig shifted to furniture design because of his passion for woodworking.

Østervig's career as a furniture designer began at E. Knudsen’s architectural design studio in Odense. In 1947, Østervig opened his first own studio as a freelance furniture designer, with a focus on modern design. In the following decades, he worked with many of the leading Scandinavian furniture producers of the period.

Østervig was exceptionally versatile, designing furniture for hotels, cinemas, and won numerous design competitions during his career. He won awards at the Milan Triennale in 1953 and 1960. In the 1960s, one of Østervig’s designs was selected for an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Østervig had a flair for the dramatic, infusing his furnishings with unique elements that stood out. From elegant, organic to coarse and purely functional furniture, his versatility earned him recognition.

Find vintage Kurt Østervig seating, tables, storage cabinets and other furniture on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by H. Gallery)

While this specific seating is known to all for its comfort and familiar form, the history of how your favorite antique or vintage lounge chair came to be is slightly more ambiguous.

Although there are rare armchairs dating back as far as the 17th century, some believe that the origins of the first official “lounge chair” are tied to Hungarian modernist designer-architect Marcel Breuer. Sure, Breuer wasn’t exactly reinventing the wheel when he introduced the Wassily lounge chair in 1925, but his seat was indeed revolutionary for its integration of bent tubular steel.

Officially, a lounge chair is simply defined as a “comfortable armchair,” which allows for the shape and material of the furnishings to be extremely diverse. Whether or not chaise longues make the cut for this category is a matter of frequent debate.

The Eames lounge chair, on the other hand, has come to define somewhat of a universal perception of what a lounge chair can be. Introduced in 1956, the Eames lounger (and its partner in cozy, the ottoman) quickly became staples in television shows, prestigious office buildings and sumptuous living rooms. Venerable American mid-century modern designers Charles and Ray Eames intended for it to be the peak of luxury, which they knew meant taking furniture to the next level of style and comfort. Their chair inspired many modern interpretations of the lounge — as well as numerous copies.

On 1stDibs, find a broad range of unique lounge chairs that includes everything from antique Victorian-era seating to vintage mid-century modern lounge chairs by craftspersons such as Hans Wegner to contemporary choices from today’s innovative designers.