Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
With a passion for math and engineering, Kai Kristiansen has created high-quality wood furniture for decades. Beginning in the 1950s, his chairs, modular shelving and other furnishings were made in the style that would become internationally renowned as Danish modern and boasted clean lines, perfected functionality and exacting craftsmanship.
Born in Denmark, Kristiansen trained in cabinetmaking before studying with Kaare Klint, often cited as the “father of modern Danish design,” at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. At just 26 years old, Kristiansen opened his own studio.
Kristiansen had his mid-century breakthrough in 1956 with the Chair #42, which he made with Schou Andersen. Unlike most other chairs at the time, Chair #42’s armrests, with their wealth of radical angles, were connected to the back rather than the front legs. This unconventional flourish makes the backrest appear as though it is floating in midair above the seat.
Kristiansen’s next innovation was a modular wall system in 1957 — three years ahead of Dieter Rams’s more famous 606 Universal Shelving System. Called the Reolsystem Wall Unit, produced by SB Feldballes Møbelfabrik, it’s also known as the FM Wall Unit as FM/Fornem Møbelkunst began producing it in the 1960s.
Kristiansen would go on to work with other leading Danish furniture manufacturers such as Magnus Olesen, Fritz Hansen and Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik, designing everything from chairs and desks to sideboards and cabinets, frequently in rosewood and teak. (The latter was a sought-after wood by Scandinavian modern designers.)
While many of Kristiansen’s timeless designs remain in production, such as his Paper Knife sofa, which was reintroduced by Miyazaki Chair Factory in 2008, and his 1950s Entré collection, which was relaunched with Great Dane Furniture in 2016, others are prized as vintage mid-century pieces.
Today, Kristiansen is still at work on new furniture with an expert eye to thoughtfully functional designs that are made to last.
Find a collection of vintage Kai Kristiansen furniture on 1stDibs.
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Hardwood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Brass
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Coral, Gold Plate, Brass
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Zinc
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary English Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Porcelain
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Glass, Art Glass
19th Century French Antique Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Brass
1990s American American Craftsman Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Pine, Paint
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Alabaster
20th Century French Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Bronze
Mid-20th Century European Campaign Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Metal
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Hardwood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Hardwood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Hardwood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Teak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Metal
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Hardwood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Steel
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Steel
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Home Accents
Steel