Jens Risom Furniture
Danish, American, 1916-2016
The Danish-born Jens Risom brought the Scandinavian modern design sensibility to a wide audience in the United States. As the first designer for Knoll Inc., Risom introduced American buyers to the region’s enduring design values of simplicity, grace and craftsmanship.
Risom trained in furniture making at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design under Ole Wanscher, alongside classmates Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen. In 1939, a year after graduating from business school, Risom decided to move to the U.S.
While working for an interior designer in New York in 1941, he met Hans Knoll, and the businessman and the designer hit it off. They brought out their first line the next year, despite wartime materials restrictions. The signature piece — now a design icon — was a lounge chair with a striking, undulant birch frame and a seat made of webbed sub-military grade parachute straps. Risom was drafted into the army, and served as a translator under General George Patton. When he returned from the war, Risom clashed over furniture design ideals with his business partner’s new bride, Florence Knoll, the pioneering mid-century modernist who was schooled in the Bauhaus method, which favored furniture with strict, geometric metal frames. Risom then started his own company, Jens Risom Design.
In the course of his long career, Risom developed a stylistic vocabulary that was a reflection of the life of the man himself: his furniture has Danish warmth coupled with an American air of crisp efficiency. Vintage Risom chairs are almost instantly recognizable — the arms and seat backs are set at a distinctive angle that seems to invite people to sit back and relax, yet they know they can hop up in an instant, ready to go.
As you will see on these pages, Jens Risom is one of the great men of American modern design who made furniture that is unique and timeless.
Find a collection of vintage Jens Risom furniture on 1stDibs that includes lounge chairs, desks, coffee tables and more.
Color: Blue
Creator: Jens Risom
Pair of New Navy Blue Wool Upholstery Lounge Slipper Chairs
By Jens Risom, Knoll
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Pair of Classic Jens Risom lounge chairs in navy blue wool upholstery. Gorgeous oiled walnut frames.
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Wool, Walnut
Jens Risom Rosewood Mid-Century Modern Blue Fabric Lounge Chairs Armchairs, Pair
By Jens Risom
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Pair of Jens Risom Rosewood Mid-Century Modern blue fabric armchairs. Item features solid rosewood frame, beautiful wood grain, clean modernist lines, and sleek sculptural form, circ...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Rosewood
Rare Chromed Steel and Wool Lounge Chairs by Jens Risom
By Jens Risom
Located in Buffalo, NY
Stunning pair of lounge chairs designed by Jens Risom, stainless steel frames, superior quality, flawless welds, retains original Knoll electric green wool upholstery, stunning.
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Stainless Steel
Related Items
Pair of Jens Risom Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
By Jens Risom
Located in New York, NY
Danish Jens Risom attributed Mid-Century Modern armchairs with new wool felt upholstery, circa 1960s . Button tufted. Tapered legs with minor loses and fading to wood. Good original ...
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1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
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One Vintage Jens Risom for Knoll Lounge Chairs
By Jens Risom, Knoll
Located in Pasadena, TX
One mid-century modern armless lounge chair designed by Jens Risom for Knoll originally in 1946. This early design has a hard maple frame with new linen upholstery.
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Jens Risom Pair of 'Vostra' Lounge Chairs with Ottoman
By Jens Risom, Walter Knoll
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Jens Risom for Walter Knoll, pair of 'Vostra' chairs with ottoman, beech, pink canvas, brass, United States, design 1941, production 1950s
Elegant lounge chairs with ottoman with be...
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Pair of Curvaceous 1940s Slipper Chairs
By William Billy Haines
Located in Atlanta, GA
Pair of Curvaceous Slipper Chairs, in the manner of William "Billy" Haines, American, circa 1940's. They are currently being refinished and r...
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Materials
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Pair of Vintage Modern Barcelona Style Slipper Lounge Chairs
By Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A stunning midcentury design with heavy flat bar chrome bases and tufted upholstery. The "X" shaped sides and angled seats ensure maximum comfort without sacrificing style. This eleg...
Category
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
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Mid-Century Vintage Jens Risom Knoll Webbed Armchair
By Jens Risom, Knoll
Located in Baltimore, MD
A stunning iconic cotton strap, webbed, lounge, armchair, 652W design (1943) early edition, designed by Jens Risom for Knoll International. Features a solid maple frame with original woven cotton straps. It is one of the most comfortable pieces you will sit in, the exquisite curved back provides lumbar support making this chair as comfortable as it is beautiful. The removable webbed, basket seat, shell is supported and rests on the arm frame base. Very Rare Vintage Modern Classic design. An iconic piece of furniture, this example has remained in a single collection since it was acquired by the prior owner from Knoll International and the original early label remains affixed beneath. (Knoll Associates Inc. 601 Madison Ave New York 22). This label has the earliest Knoll Associates showroom address, which opened in 1946.
Measurements: 24.5 ” tall x 24? wide x 30? deep x seat height 18? (arm height 21") (seat to the lowest point 11")
Jens Risom
Danish-American architect-designer Jens Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916, the son of a nationally renowned architect of the Nordic Classicism style. Between 1935 and 1938, he trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under Ole Wanscher and Kaare Klint, alongside classmates Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen. For a short time following his studies, he took on furniture and interior designer projects for the Copenhagen-based architectural firm Ernst Kuhn. He then moved briefly to Stockholm, where he worked for Nordiska Kompaniet and met Alvar Aalto and Bruno Mathsson. Around 1939, he immigrated to New York with ambitions to introduce the Scandinavian modernist approach to the US furniture market.
Risom’s arrival in the US coincided with the years of materials shortages brought on by the war. As a result, Risom was unable to secure a position in a furniture company, and, instead, found work designing textiles for decorator Dan Cooper. Eager to do more, he soon convinced Cooper to expand into the furniture market, and together they found projects with young, progressive architects like Ed Stone and George Nelson. In 1939-40, Ed Stone was invited to create Collier Magazine’s House of Ideas pavilion at Rockefeller Center as part of the New York World’s Fair, and Risom designed all of the furniture.
Around 1941, Risom met Hans Knoll, a German-born entrepreneur in the furniture industry who had a showroom on Madison Avenue dedicated to rather lackluster furnishings. Sharing a dream to do something more vanguard, they joined forces and set off on a four-month tour of the US in search of design inspiration. By 1942, Knoll launched Hans Knoll Furniture Company with Risom on board as his head designer.
Risom’s early designs for Knoll made use of military surplus...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Maple
Danish Pair of Midcentury Slipper or Cocktail Lounge Chairs, 1950's
By Ole Wanscher
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A very cool matching pair of Danish slipper or cocktail chairs from the 1950s. Very comfortable and light weight and thus easy to move around when the situation and guests require ex...
Category
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Teak
Jens Risom Walnut Armchairs Reupholstered In Your Fabric
By Jens Risom
Located in Atlanta, GA
Pair of Clean Lined Mid Century Modern Armchairs, designed by Jens Risom, American, circa 1960s. These chairs are currently being reupholstered and can be completed in your fabric. S...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
Jens Risom Armchair for Knoll
By Jens Risom, Knoll
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This armchair is an early example of Jens Risom's design for Knoll and is a simple yet innovative design. The chair is two separate pieces: a singular seat / back component is simply...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Birch, Textile
Jens Risom Teak Wood Arm Chair In Black Striped Chenille
By Jens Risom
Located in Chicago, IL
Danish Modern style teak wood arm chair in black striped chenille upholstery. Single Danish teak wood arm chair has a thick sloping seat and a form fitting back cushion. Angular and ...
Category
1950s Danish Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Teak
Jens Risom Lounge Chair for Knoll International
By Jens Risom
Located in Munich, DE
Jens Risom lounge chair for Knoll International. Webbing redone. model no. 652.
LOCATED IN HAMBURG
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Wood
Jens Risom Playboy chairs
By Jens Risom
Located in New York, NY
Jens Risom walnut armchairs model C140 Playboy chairs. Mad Men era arm chairs that became know as "Playboy chairs" after a 1961 Playboy Magazine photoshoot. Solid oiled walnut frame...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Previously Available Items
Set of Four Risom for KnollStudio Side Chairs, Ebony with Blue Webbing, 2010s
By Jens Risom, Knoll
Located in San Francisco, CA
A four-piece set of early 2010s Jens Risom side chairs for KnollStudio in ebonized maple with blue webbing seats.
Iconic chair was conceived in 1941 and introduced in 1943 by the ...
Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Nylon, Maple
H 18 in W 17.25 in L 18 in
Jens Risom Bench
By Jens Risom
Located in San Francisco, CA
Completely original Jens Risom design walnut bench, labeled.
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Jens Risom Walnut Slipper Lounge Chair
By Jens Risom
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Large and Wide Chair, Very comfortable. Reupholstery REcommended or Steam Cleaning. These were reUpholstery in the 1970s.
Extremely Rare and Hard to find Slipper Chair, Four Av...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Jens Risom furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Jens Risom furniture 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 Jens Risom furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 323 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 5 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Jens Risom were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Fredericia, Florence Knoll, and Craft Associates. Prices for Jens Risom furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $350 and can go as high as $35,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,213.
Creators Similar to Jens Risom
Questions About Jens Risom Furniture
- Who is Jens Risom?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Jens Risom was a Danish designer. Many people credit him with bringing the modern style of Scandinavian design to the U.S. He is well-known for his chairs, which feature angled seat backs often upholstered with webbing. On 1stDibs, find a selection of Jens Risom furniture.
- Was Jens Risom Danish?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Yes, Jens Risom was Danish. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 8, 1916, and attended Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design. Following his graduation, Risom moved to the U.S., where he lived for the rest of his life. On 1stDibs, find a collection of Jens Risom furniture.
- Who sells Jens Risom rockers?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Normally, vintage furniture dealers or auction and online platforms specializing in authentic vintage furniture sell Jens Risom rockers. From time to time, rocking chairs produced by the Danish designer may appear at thrift shops and secondhand stores or be available directly from individuals who own them. On 1stDibs, find a selection of Jens Risom chairs.