Finn Juhl Seating
Along with Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen and Børge Mogensen, Finn Juhl was one of the great masters of mid-20th-century Danish design. Juhl was the first among that group to have his work promoted overseas, bringing the character of the nation’s furnishings — and the inherent principles of grace, craftsmanship and utility on which they were based — to an international audience.
A stylistic maverick, Juhl embraced expressive, free-flowing shapes in chair, credenzas and sofa designs much earlier than his colleagues, yet even his quietest pieces incorporate supple, curving forms that are at once elegant and ergonomic.
As a young man, Juhl hoped to become an art historian, but his father steered him into a more practical course of study in architecture. He began designing furniture in the late 1930s, a discipline in which, despite his education, Juhl was self-taught, and quite proud of the fact.
Juhl’s earliest works, designed in the late 1930s, are perhaps his most idiosyncratic. The influence of modern art is clear in his 1939 Pelican chair: an almost Surrealist take on the classic wing chair. Critics reviled the piece, however; one said it looked like a "tired walrus." Juhl had tempered his creativity by 1945, when the workshop of Danish cabinetmaker Niels Vodder began to issue his designs. Yet Juhl’s now-classic NV 45 armchair still demonstrates panache, with a seat that floats above the chair’s teak frame.
Juhl first exhibited his work in the United States in 1950, championed by Edgar Kaufmann Jr., an influential design critic and scion of America’s most prominent family of modern architecture and design patrons. (Kaufmann’s father commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright’s design of the house “Fallingwater.”)
Juhl quickly won a following for such signature designs as the supremely comfortable Chieftan lounge chair, the Judas table — a piece ornamented with stylish inlaid silver plaquettes — and the biomorphic Baker sofa. After an article authored by Kaufmann on Juhl and his work appeared in the U.S.-based magazine Interiors in 1948, he began receiving American commissions.
Kaufmann commissioned Juhl to create the exhibition design for, and contribute pieces to, the 1951 edition of the Good Design shows he organized for MoMA and Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. Baker Furniture asked Juhl to design for the firm, and he produced a collection of chairs, tables and cabinets, and, later, the 1957 sofa.
Scandinavian modernist seating, such as the chairs and sofas Juhl created for Baker, became immensely popular in postwar America, as the seeds of the Scandinavian style that Juhl sowed took root and spread in the United States. Juhl and his work featured prominently in the landmark show “Design from Scandinavia,” which opened in 1954 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and traveled to 24 museums in the U.S. and Canada; over three years, it was seen by more than a million people.
Juhl’s furniture — as well as his ceramics, tableware and accessories — has an air of relaxed sophistication and elegance that is unique in the realm of mid-century design.
Find vintage Finn Juhl armchairs, coffee tables, desks and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Brass
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Teak
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Teak, Fabric
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Teak, Fabric
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Rosewood
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Wool, Teak
2010s Danish Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Wool, Walnut
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Rosewood
1960s Danish Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Fruitwood
1960s Danish Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Wood
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Oak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Brass
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Faux Leather, Oak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Teak
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Walnut
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Wool, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Brass
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Goatskin, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Upholstery, Teak
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Beech
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Stainless Steel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Linen, Walnut, Feathers
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Wool, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Steel
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Metal, Brass
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Fabric, Rosewood
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Teak
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Velvet
1950s American Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Walnut
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Walnut, Leather
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Upholstery, Teak
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Textile, Rosewood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Brass
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Wool, Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Teak
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Cane, Teak
Late 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Teak
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Brass, Steel
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Rosewood
1950s American Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Teak, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Rosewood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Rosewood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Finn Juhl Seating
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Finn Juhl Seating
Fabric, Teak
Finn Juhl seating for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to Finn Juhl
- 1stDibs ExpertJune 6, 2024Here are the dimensions of the Finn Juhl France chair: The frame is around 30 inches tall by 29 inches deep by 26.5 inches wide and the seat height is approximately 16 inches. Find a selection of Finn Juhl France chairs from some of the world's top sellers on 1stDibs.