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Levenger Writing Desk

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Vintage Adjustable Rolling Table or Workstation by Aksel Kjersgaard for Levenger
By Aksel Kjersgaard
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fantastic, rolling, adjustable table or workstation by Aksel Kjersgaard for Levenger. Classic
Category

Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Teak

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Aksel Kjersgaard for sale on 1stDibs

Danish designer Aksel Kjersgaard founded his eponymous furniture manufacturing company in 1952. Revered by mid-century furniture lovers for its straightforward approach to design of its classic mirrors, which are frequently framed in teak or rosewood — or the graceful, angular forms of its vintage case pieces and storage cabinets — Aksel Kjersgaard is eminently collectible today. It is among the manufacturers that popularized Scandinavian modernism on an international scale, and the popularity of the brand endures.

A master cabinetmaker, Kjersgaard had spent three years traveling through Europe and Morocco toiling in other workshops before he opened his own factory. When he returned to Odder, in his native country, he was eager to start creating his own furniture, and his sleek, minimalist dressers, sideboards, cabinets and wall mirrors debuted in 1955. The factory quickly gained a sterling reputation for its focus on craftsmanship and Kjersgaard’s reluctance to embellish his handmade pieces with ornament or unnecessary decorative flourishes.

Kjersgaard attracted many talents of the Scandinavian modernist movement (and continues to do so today). Known for his Chair #42, which he created with Schou Andersen, designer Kai Kristiansen worked with the company through the 1950s and 1960s, and his side tables and chests became a hallmark of the brand. During the 1970s, architects and former Rud Rasmussen cabinetmakers Søren Nissen and Ebbe Gehl brought their expertise to the manufacturer, introducing a Shaker-influenced line that represented the start of what is now the very popular Naver collection, which is offered by way of a collaboration between Gramrode Møbelfabrik and Aksel Kjersgaard A/S.

Find vintage Aksel Kjersgaard mirrors, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs. 

A Close Look at mid-century-modern Furniture

Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.

ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS

VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.

Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively. 

Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer

Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.

The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.

As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.

Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.

As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.

Finding the Right shelves for You

From valuable historical memorabilia to rare architectural models to priceless family photos, there’s no shortage of collectibles and curiosities worthy of adorning your home. Why not take the time to find the ideal antique, new or vintage shelves for your treasured trinkets?

For every space and object, there’s sure to be a wall-mounted or sturdy floor solution that matches your shelving needs on 1stDibs. And while shelves should technically stick out from your wall, they shouldn’t from the rest of your decor.

Because you can find shelves made with a wide variety of materials today, everything from teak to brass, your shelving can seamlessly support your existing color scheme and design style. An arrangement of shelves from floor to ceiling can turn your wall into a proud storage space for displaying artwork, decorative objects and books. Options abound with regard to shelving for the latter, as furniture designers know that literature creates an inviting atmosphere in any room, and one of the simplest ways to integrate books into an interior design is with the right shelves or bookcase.

Elegant shelving is a must for a happy home office or library, but a sharp shelving system can freshen up virtually any room in your home. Proudly display your vintage dinner plates and other tableware with open shelving in the kitchen or tuck away linens in big baskets on shelves in your bathroom if you’re navigating life without a proper linen closet.

On 1stDibs, find a wide range of shelves that includes everything from mid-century modern floating shelves to decorative Chinese shelves dating from the 18th century to contemporary statement-making structures that are as provocative as they are convenient.