France & Son Sofas
Danish manufacturer France & Søn is best known for its prolific output of elegant mid-century modern furnishings in teak and leather, yet its multinational beginnings took shape during the 1930s.
After businessman Charles William Fearnley France (1897–1972) moved from his native England to Denmark in 1936, he began to operate a small mattress factory alongside his friend Eric Daverkosen, a Danish cabinetmaker, under the name France & Daverkosen. Shortly afterward, Daverkosen passed away, and when Denmark was invaded during the Second World War, Charles was captured and sent to a prison camp in Germany. When he was released, the British entrepreneur set out to produce furniture in the early 1950s, setting up a shop in Hillerød to manufacture the kind of sleek beech and teak goods that were gaining widespread acclaim around the world. In 1957, France’s son James joined the business, and the company changed its name to reflect the addition.
Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, France & Søn produced a stunning array — and staggering quantity — of designs, with elegant modernist lounge chairs and armchairs, teak and rosewood dining tables and other furnishings by the likes of Finn Juhl, Grete Valk, Ole Wanscher, Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen all gracing its catalogues.
Even as there was a focus on mass production at France & Søn — and the brand doesn’t quite enjoy the same renown as fellow mid-century Danish furniture makers such as Carl Hansen & Søn — Charles France believed in making quality furniture, and the company’s offerings evoke the warmth of the handcrafted work that is typically associated with Scandinavian modernism.
In the 1960s, the company was bought by Danish designer Poul Cadovius, who folded it into the operations at CADO, a company he founded during the 1950s. Surviving examples of early work from the brand as well as modern icons by the likes of Verner Panton that followed in later years continue to be in demand.
Find a collection of France & Søn furniture on 1stDibs.
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Bouclé, Teak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Teak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Brass
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Upholstery, Teak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Leather, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Leather, Oak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Leather, Rosewood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Bouclé, Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Leather, Teak
1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Wool, Rattan, Teak
1960s Danish Vintage France & Son Sofas
Leather, Fruitwood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Leather, Rosewood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Wool, Mahogany
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Wood, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern France & Son Sofas
Brass
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Cane, Wood, Teak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Steel
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern France & Son Sofas
Bouclé, Teak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Scandinavian Modern France & Son Sofas
Brass
1950s Danish Vintage France & Son Sofas
Leather, Wood
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Steel, Chrome
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Wool, Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Leather, Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Teak, Wool, Linen
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Teak
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern France & Son Sofas
Upholstery, Teak, Wool
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Teak
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Wood, Fabric, Upholstery
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Wool, Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern France & Son Sofas
Fabric, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Wool, Rosewood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Leather, Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Teak
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage France & Son Sofas
Other
France & Søn sofas for sale on 1stDibs.
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