Moller Counter Stool

Family-owned and operated since its inception, furniture manufacturer J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik is known to collectors for its impeccably crafted vintage chairs, dining tables and more. Its production of elegant, built-to-last furniture that favors pared-back functional forms over ornamentation has earned the company an international reputation as a leading manufacturer of Scandinavian modern furniture.

J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik was founded in 1944 by noted furniture designer Niels Otto Møller. Hailed as one of the most influential pioneers of Danish furniture design, Møller trained as a cabinetmaker before going on to study design in his hometown of Åarhus, Denmark. Here he founded J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik and designed his first chair, the aptly named No.1. In 1961, owing to high demand, the company moved their production headquarters to their plant in Højbjerg, Denmark, where they remain to this day. Møller’s company gained renown initially for their dining chairs but eventually became an important name in the manufacture of other household furnishings including armchairs, credenzas and dining room tables.

While J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik streamlined and modernized the production of their furniture over the years, much of their fabrication process still adheres to time-honored traditions. Their furniture is built from sturdy, durable materials such as rosewood and teak (the latter came to define the simple shapes of mid-century modern design). Many of their most iconic designs, including their Model 77 chair, still incorporate handmade features such as woven seats.

Vintage J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik furniture remains as popular today as it was at the height of the mid-century modern period. After Møller’s death in 1982, control of the company was handed down through his family. It is now led by his granddaughter, Kirsten Møller, who strives to uphold her grandfather’s vision. The original designs of Niels Otto Møller, including his legendary Model 78 chair, remain in production today.

Furniture produced by J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik can be found in prestigious institutions such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. The company was awarded the Danish Furniture Industry Prize in 1981.

On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik seating, tables and storage cabinets.

Stools are versatile and a necessary addition to any living room, kitchen area or elsewhere in your home. A sofa or reliable lounge chair might nab all the credit, comfort-wise, but don’t discount the roles that good antique, new and vintage stools can play.

“Stools are jewels and statements in a space, and they can also be investment pieces,” says New York City designer Amy Lau, who adds that these seats provide an excellent choice for setting an interior’s general tone. 

Stools, which are among the oldest forms of wooden furnishings, may also serve as decorative pieces, even if we’re talking about a stool that is far less sculptural than the gracefully curving molded plywood shells that make up Sōri Yanagi’s provocative Butterfly stool. 

Fawn Galli, a New York interior designer, uses her stools in the same way you would use a throw pillow. “I normally buy several styles and move them around the home where needed,” she says.

Stools are smaller pieces of seating as compared to armchairs or dining chairs and can add depth as well as functionality to a space that you’ve set aside for entertaining. For a splash of color, consider the Stool 60, a pioneering work of bentwood by Finnish architect and furniture maker Alvar Aalto. It’s manufactured by Artek and comes in a variety of colored seats and finishes.

Barstools that date back to the 1970s are now more ubiquitous in kitchens. Vintage barstools have seen renewed interest, be they a meld of chrome and leather or transparent plastic, such as the Lucite and stainless-steel counter stool variety from Indiana-born furniture designer Charles Hollis Jones, who is renowned for his acrylic works. A cluster of barstools — perhaps a set of four brushed-aluminum counter stools by Emeco or Tubby Tube stools by Faye Toogood — can encourage merriment in the kitchen. If you’ve got the room for family and friends to congregate and enjoy cocktails where the cooking is done, consider matching your stools with a tall table.

Whether you need counter stools, drafting stools or another kind, explore an extensive range of antique, new and vintage stools on 1stDibs.