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Fritz Hansen Armchairs

Danish, 1847-1902

When the Copenhagen-based furniture maker Fritz Hansen opened for business more than 140 years ago, the company — which today styles itself The Republic of Fritz Hansen — adhered to the traditional, time-honored Danish values of craftsmanship in woodworking and joinery. Yet thanks to the postwar innovations of Arne Jacobsen and others, Fritz Hansen would become the country’s leader in Scandinavian modern design using new, forward-looking materials and methods.

Fritz Hansen started his company in 1872, specializing in the manufacture of small furniture parts. In 1915, the firm became the first in Denmark to make chairs using steam-bent wood (a technique most familiar from birch used in the ubiquitous café chairs by Austrian maker Thonet). At the time, Fritz Hansen was best known for seating that featured curved legs and curlicue splats and referenced 18th-century Chippendale designs.

In the next few decades, the company promoted simple, plain chairs with slatted backs and cane or rush seats designed by such proto-modernist masters as Kaare Klint and Søren Hansen. Still, the most aesthetically striking piece Fritz Hansen produced in the first half of the 20th century was arguably the China chair of 1944 by Hans Wegner — and that piece, with its yoke-shaped bentwood back- and armrest, was based on seating manufactured in China during the Ming dynasty. (Wegner was moved by portraits he’d seen of Danish merchants in the Chinese chairs.) 

Everything changed in 1952 with Arne Jacobsen’s Ant chair. The collaboration between the architect and Fritz Hansen officially originated in 1934 — that year, Jacobsen created his inaugural piece for the manufacturer, the solid beechwood Bellevue chair for a restaurant commission. The Ant chair, however, was the breakthrough.

With assistance from his then-apprentice Verner Panton, Jacobsen designed the Ant chair for the cafeteria of a Danish healthcare company called Novo Nordisk. The chair was composed of a seat and backrest formed from a single piece of molded plywood attached, in its original iteration, to three tubular metal legs. Its silhouette suggests the shape of the insect’s body, and the lightweight, stackable chair and its biomorphic form became an international hit.

Jacobsen followed with more plywood successes, such as the Grand Prix chair of 1957. The following year he designed the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen and its furnishings, including the Egg chair and the Swan chair. Those two upholstered pieces, with their lush, organic frames made of fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane, have become the two chairs most emblematic of mid-20th-century cool. Moreover, the Egg and Swan led Fritz Hansen to fully embrace new man-made materials, like foam, plastic and steel wire used to realize the avant-garde creations of later generations of designers with whom the firm collaborated, such as Piet Hein, Jørn Utzon (the architect of the Sydney Opera House) and Verner Panton. If the Fritz Hansen of 1872 would not now recognize his company, today’s connoisseurs certainly do.

Find a collection of vintage Fritz Hansen tables, lounge chairs, sofas and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Number in Set: Set of 8
Creator: Fritz Hansen
Pair of Custom Made Boucle Armchairs
By Fritz Hansen
Located in London, GB
Dagmar Design Model 54 Lounge Chair A pair of custom made lounge chairs developed and produced at our workshops in London using the highest qu...
Category

2010s British Scandinavian Modern Fritz Hansen Armchairs

Materials

Bouclé, Beech

Poul Kjærholm 'PK31' Armchair for Fritz Hansen in Aura Leather
By Fritz Hansen, Poul Kjærholm
Located in Glendale, CA
Poul Kjærholm 'PK31' Armchair for Fritz Hansen in Aura Leather Established in 1872, Fritz Hansen has become synonymous with legendary Danish design. Combining timeless craftsmanship...
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21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Fritz Hansen Armchairs

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Steel

Poul Kjærholm 'PK31' Armchair for Fritz Hansen in Leather (Cat. 5)
By Fritz Hansen, Poul Kjærholm
Located in Glendale, CA
Poul Kjærholm 'PK31' Armchair for Fritz Hansen in Leather (Cat. 5) Established in 1872, Fritz Hansen has become synonymous with legendary Danish design. Combining timeless craftsman...
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21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Fritz Hansen Armchairs

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Steel

Fritz Hansen, Model "Canada", A Pair of Armchairs in Beech, Danish Modern, 1939
By Fritz Hansen, Christian E. Hansen
Located in Odense, DK
A great example of 2 Fritz Hansen armchairs "Canada" armchairs, designed by Christian E. Hansen for Fritz Hansen in the 1940s. The chairs are made from stained beech wood and with it...
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen Armchairs

Materials

Fabric, Beech

Egg, Model 3316, Arne Jacobsen, 1958
By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in Lejre, DK
The egg, model 3316 designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958. The chair has original upholstery in cognac elegance leather manufactored by Fritz Hansen This product will be inspected th...
Category

1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Armchairs

Materials

Aluminum

Ejner Larsen and Axel Bender Madsen Oak Armchair / Desk Chair, Inc. Reupholstery
By Fritz Hansen, Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender Madsen
Located in Knebel, DK
Armchair / desk chair in oak designed by Ejner Larsen and Axel Bender Madsen in 1955 for Fritz Hansen. The comfortable, well designed and almost timeless chairs have been checked ...
Category

1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Armchairs

Materials

Oak

Arne Jacobsen Model 3207 Armchair Clear Lacquer
By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in Berkeley, CA
The Series 7 designed by Arne Jacobsen is one of the most iconic chairs in the history of Fritz Hansen and perhaps also in furniture history. The pressure molded veneer chair is a fu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen Armchairs

Materials

Oak

Arne Jacobsen Model 3208 Lily
By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in Berkeley, CA
The Lily was originally designed for the Danish National Bank. The first model was 3108 from 1968, and the chair was introduced to the market with arms, model 3208, at the Danish Fur...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen Armchairs

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Oak

Arne Jacobsen Model 3208 Lily
By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in Berkeley, CA
The Lily was originally designed for the Danish National Bank. The first model was 3108 from 1968, and the chair was introduced to the market with arms, model 3208, at the Danish Fur...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen Armchairs

Materials

Oak

Arne Jacobsen Model 3207 Fully Upholstered
By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in Berkeley, CA
The Series 7 designed by Arne Jacobsen is one of the most iconic chairs in the history of Fritz Hansen and perhaps also in furniture history. The pressure moulded veneer chair is a f...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Fritz Hansen Armchairs

Materials

Oak

Eight Ejner Larsen and Axel Bender Madsen Oak Armchairs, Inc. Reupholstery
By Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender Madsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in Knebel, DK
Set of 8 armchairs in oak designed by Ejner Larsen and Axel Bender Madsen armchairs in 1955 for Fritz Hansen. The comfortable, well designed and al...
Category

1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Fritz Hansen Armchairs

Materials

Oak

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Fritz Hansen armchairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Fritz Hansen armchairs are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Fritz Hansen armchairs, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 138 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 5 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original armchairs by Fritz Hansen were created in the Scandinavian Modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider armchairs by Ole Wanscher, Illum Wikkelsø, and Hans J. Wegner. Prices for Fritz Hansen armchairs can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $242 and can go as high as $100,189, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,150.

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