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.
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Period: 1940s
Creator: Jens Risom
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...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Brass
Rare Vintage Upholstered Jens Risom Vostra Easy Chair for Knoll Associates, NYC
By Jens Risom
Located in Morristown, NJ
A 1940s Jens Risom for Knoll Associates Inc. Vostra Easy chair upholstered in a cream, golden and blue damask fabric. Unconventional and memorable, it was the epitome of a new depart...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Steel
Pair of Bouclé Slipper Chairs Designed by Jens Risom for H.G. Knoll Associates
By Jens Risom, Knoll
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Jens Risom for H.G. Knoll Associates armless slipper chairs composed of upholstered seats supported by walnut bases (first appearing in the 1942 Knoll catalog).
There is a slight d...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Bouclé, Walnut
Dining Table in Round Walnut Model 42 by Jens Risom for Knoll
By Jens Risom
Located in Bedford Hills, NY
Beautiful 42" Round walnut dining table by Jens Risom for Knoll Model 642TR. Jens Risom’s furniture, the first collection designed for and manufactured by Knoll, helped establish the company as an early source of modern design in America. The simple wood dining table...
Category
1940s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Jens Risom Original Pair of Side Chairs for Walter Knoll, Circa 1940's
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of early Knoll side chairs by designer Jens Risom. Circa 1940's.
In original condition, with wear shown throughout and near the bottom of the legs. The chairs have been lightl...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Nylon, Birch
Jens Risom Sofa by Knoll
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Highland, IN
This early Risom model 37 sofa for Knoll is classic mid-century. Designed in 1946, the dynamic, but restrained form speaks to Risom's Scandinavian heritage. The upholstered body is s...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Birch, Upholstery
13 jens Risom Side Chairs for Knoll
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Introducing the Knoll Risom Side Chair - A Timeless Icon of Modern Design!
The Knoll Risom Side Chair is a true testament to the enduring legacy of modern furniture design. Created ...
Category
1940s American Scandinavian Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Cotton, Wood
1946 Jen Risom 666 WSP Side Chairs Black Webbing for Knoll Associates Set of Six
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is a set of six circa mid 1940s dining chairs designed by Jen Risom and produced by Knoll Associates. The model number is 666 WSP, a model introduced by Knoll Associa...
Category
1940s American Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Wood, Maple
Mid-Century Vintage Jens Risom Knoll Webbed Armchair
By Knoll, Jens Risom
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
1940s Jens Risom For Knoll Associates 666 WSP Dining Chair with Webbing in Maple
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is an original Jens Risom for Knoll Associates 666 WSP dining chair, circa 1940s. The chair is in gorgeous original condition with some patina and wear shown to the s...
Category
1940s American Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Maple
1949 Jens Risom No. 23 Sofa with New Upholstery Signed H.G. Knoll Products
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is an exceptionally rare and early Jens Risom Sofa, model number 23, produced by Knoll and labelled H.G. Knoll Products. This particular examples dates to circa 1949....
Category
1940s American Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Wood
C. 1941 Jens Risom for Knoll Associates Three-Seater Sofa/Settee w/ New Webbing
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a three-seater settee, designed by Jens Risom for Knoll Associates in 1941. The piece has a frame constructed of pine (or possibly birch), and has newly re-done webbed straps...
Category
1940s American Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Copper
1940s Jens Risom Knoll Pair Upholstered Slipper Lounge Chairs Midcentury
By Jens Risom
Located in Hyattsville, MD
A matching pair of Jens Risom's Vostra Lounge Chairs for Knoll, Germany. Feet in beechwood, from 1949.
W 20 x D 30 x Seat H 17 / Back H 30 in.
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Beech
Jens Risom Armchair for Knoll
By Knoll, Jens Risom
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
Mid Century Jens Risom Knoll Side Dining Room Chairs Model 666
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Baltimore, MD
Spectacular set of 10 beautifully, ebonized, dining room chairs model "666" of the "600" a model introduced by Knoll Associates in 1941, by iconic designer Jens Risom for Knoll manuf...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Wood
10 Jens Risom Side Chairs for Knoll
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Knoll Studio classic, Jens Risom's designs were the first pieces manufactured by Knoll. Due to war-time restrictions on materials, this style chair was originally constructed of si...
Category
1940s American Scandinavian Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Cotton, Wood
Jens Risom, Vostra Easy Lounge Chair, Design 1941 for Walter Knoll, Germany
By Walter Knoll, Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Munster, NRW
Jens Risom for Walter Knoll - Easychair Vostra, 1941
Design from 1941 - model of the 50s, beech frame.
This Easychair comes from the private property of an art dealer in Cologne,...
Category
1940s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Beech
Early Jens Risom Low Profile Walnut Coffee Table, circa 1948
By Jens Risom
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Danish modern design is predominantly known for two features - sculptural design and quality construction meant to last and last. And this early Jens Risom table is no exception. Des...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Pair of Jens Risom 666 Side Chairs for Knoll
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare Jens Risom chairs made in the 1940s, model “666” of the 600 series from 1941.
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Birch
Rare and Early Jens Risom Stool for Knoll Associates, New York City
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare and early Jens Risom stool for Knoll Associates, New York City. Simple, elegant design. Retains original finish as well as original early oil cloth upholstered top. Also origina...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Upholstery, Birch
Early Jens Risom Side Chair for Knoll
By Jens Risom
Located in Chicago, IL
Designed for Knoll by Jens Risom in 1943. Basket-woven parachute straps.
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Birch, Canvas
Related Items
Jens Risom Armless Sofa
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Florence Knoll Walnut & Chrome Oval Dining Table or Desk for Knoll Inc.
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
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Versatile table designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll International in the United States circa 1960s. This iconic design features a solid oval walnut wood top that sits over a chromed...
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Classic Slipper Chairs by Jens Risom in Bouclé, C. 1950s
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Located in Westport, CT
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Jens Risom Mid Century 10 Foot Walnut Dining Table
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Walnut Round Dining Table by Florence Knoll for Knoll International
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Located in Chiavari, Liguria
Stunning and very rare round dining or conference table by Florence Knoll has a versatile diameter of 160cm. It has a solid walnut top and a chrome-plated steel base. Produced in the...
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Set of Three Jens Risom for Knoll Webbed Wood Side Chairs
By Jens Risom, Knoll
Located in Miami, FL
Set of three blueberry nylon webbed chairs with maple frames designed by Jens Risom for Knoll.
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Dining Table Model 578 in Walnut by Florence Knoll
By Knoll, Florence Knoll, Nordiska Kompaniet
Located in Dronten, NL
Florence Knoll model 578 dining or conference table.
The table features a boat shaped top in walnut with an enameled square tubular steel base.
The beautiful book matched walnut tabl...
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Jens Risom Big Chair and Ottoman
By Jens Risom
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An original Model 2117 Chair, designed by Jens Risom for his company Jens Risom Design Inc. Beautifully restored in plush Knoll mohair velvet. Angular lines of the lounge chair contr...
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Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Jens Risom Furniture
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Pair of Vintage Midcentury Restored Jens Risom Lounge Chairs
By Jens Risom
Located in Pasadena, TX
Jens Risom`s career has spanned nearly sixty years. He began his study of design in the Copenhagen workshop of Kaare Klint in 1935 and joined Ernst Kuhn`s architectural office in 1938, where he designed furniture and interiors. In 1939, Risom emigrated to the U.S. and in 1941 designed the first chair manufactured by Knoll. Risom described the chair as "very basic, very simple, inexpensive, easy to make." The chair was constructed with a birch wood frame and, because of wartime materials constraints, cheap but strong army surplus...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Cowhide, Walnut
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
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Three-Seat Jens Risom Sofa for Risom Design Inc multicolored fabric with stripes
By Jens Risom
Located in Berlin, DE
This Jens Risom sofa for Risom Design Inc. is in good condition. The solid walnut frame has been oiled and is in vintage condition with normal wear with age (slight imperfections). T...
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Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Jens Risom Furniture
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H 33.47 in W 89.38 in D 31.5 in
Jens Risom Armchair for Knoll
By Knoll, Jens Risom
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...
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1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
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Previously Available Items
Jens Risom Side Chair in original condition, c. 1940
By Jens Risom
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Jens Risom Side Chair c. 1940
maple frame with walnut back and original vinyl seat cover
all in original condition - untouched - original label on the bottom
have not been able t...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Maple, Walnut
Jens Risom Early Bar Cabinet for Knoll, 1940s
By Jens Risom
Located in Coronado, CA
When Hans Knoll started his furniture company, he selected Jens Risom to design many of the first pieces for it. This bar cabinet, expertly crafted by Pennsylvania Dutch woodworkers ...
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1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Cherry
Jens Risom Strapped Leather Lounge Chair
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lounge chair by Jens Risom for Knoll, circa 1940s. This 1943 design was Risom's first design for Knoll, where he had been brought on as design director. This piece features a birch f...
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1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
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Jens Risom Pair of "No. 654" Chairs, Knoll Internationnal, USA, 1940s
By Jens Risom
Located in Forest, BE
Pair of lounge chairs designed by Jens Risom in 1941. Jens Risom’s designs were the first pieces conceived for and manufactured by Knoll in the USA. Due to wartime material restrictions, the lounge chair was originally constructed of simple maple frames and discarded parachute webbing. Described as good, honest furniture design, the collection helped establish Knoll as an early source of modern design in...
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Materials
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H 30.32 in W 20.08 in D 27.96 in
Vintage Webbed Armchairs Designed by Jens Risom for Knoll, Set of 2
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Ely, GB
A Pair of Super Stylish armchairs Designed by Jens Risom in 1941 for Knoll.
Boasting clean lines and crafted from high quality maple with strap work / webbed seating, the chairs a...
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Canvas, Maple
Early Jens Risom Compass Chair for His Own Company
By Jens Risom
Located in New York, NY
Rare dining or side chair in birch with compass-shaped legs designed by Jens Risom and produced by his fledgling eponymous company in 1947. Part of an innovative design series previe...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Birch
Single Early Jens Risom Chair for His Own Company
By Jens Risom
Located in New York, NY
Rare pair of dining or side chairs in birch with compass-shaped legs designed by Jens Risom and produced by his fledgling eponymous company in 1947. Part of an innovative design seri...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Birch
Jens Risom Open-Arm Bench
By Jens Risom
Located in Chicago, IL
Jens Risom Open-Arm bench, Solid maple frame reupholstered with cotton fabric.
Frame is original with natural patina and age with use, presents well.
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
Upholstery, Birch
Jens Risom Lounge Chair
By Jens Risom
Located in San Francisco, CA
An early model of the 654W lounge chair. Designed by Risom and commissioned by Hans Knoll.
Measure: Seat height: 11" - 14".
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1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
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Jens Risom Lounge Chair
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lounge chair by Jens Risom for Knoll, circa late 1940s. This 1943 design was Risom's first design for Knoll, where he had been brought on as design director. Because of the scarcity ...
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Signed Jens Risom U-420 Lounge Chair 1940s Walnut Stunner
By Jens Risom
Located in West Hartford, CT
A model U-420 lounge chair by Jens Risom in highly figured walnut. The low lounge chair, U-420 is one
of the most coveted in the midcentury cannon. All labels are present. Heavy con...
Category
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
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Vintage Jens Risom 'Model 666' Dining Chairs for Knoll
By Jens Risom
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Spectacular set of 4 dining chairs designed by Jens Risom and made by Knoll.
This model 666 was only taken into production for a short while in the 1940s. Here’s you chance to own...
Category
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jens Risom Furniture
Materials
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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.
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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.