Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
With a passion for math and engineering, Kai Kristiansen has created high-quality wood furniture for decades. Beginning in the 1950s, his coffee tables, 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 Scandinavian Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Leather, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Marble, Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Formica, Wood
20th Century French Louis XVI Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Travertine
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Travertine
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Rosewood
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Granite
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Brass
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Teak
1960s Vintage Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Kai Kristiansen Game Tables
Beech, Teak
