A powerhouse duo in Danish furniture design throughout the mid-20th century, Henry Hans Schubell and Arnold Madsen collaborated as Madsen & Schubell with Dutch company Bovenkamp and Vik & Blindheim on a range of furnishings and created memorable lounge chairs, armchairs and other seating throughout the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s — such as the iconic Clam chair — that represent the finest of Scandinavian modern design.
Born in 1906, Schubell was an apprentice cabinetmaker turned foreman by his early 20s. As a supervisor for cabinetmakers Winter and Winding, Schubell oversaw furniture production in their workshop until the mid-1940s. In 1944, a skilled upholster by the name of Arnold Madsen requested assistance from a cabinetmaker to make a prototype lounge chair based on a plaster model he’d made. Accepting the challenge, Schubell impressed Madsen to the point that he suggested they enter into a partnership. The Clam chair was their first collaboration as Madsen & Schubell.
According to Aaron FitzGerald, of Dagmar gallery, Madsen’s Clam chair is “one of the most sought-after and simultaneously misattributed and copied chair designs of the twentieth century.” In the past, it was ascribed to the Norwegian retailer Martin Olsen and then the Danish architect Philip Arctander. It was only through some dogged research by a team of international design historians and collectors that it was finally correctly associated with Madsen.
In the backyard of a modest home in Copenhagen, Schubell built wooden frames which Madsen then upholstered. They sold their finished products to dealers under their joint name, earning enough money to move production to a factory outside the city. Some models were under license by Norwegian company Vik & Blindheim while others were manufactured by Bovenkamp in the Netherlands. The pair’s partnership ended in 1963 in order for the designers to establish separate companies. Madsen opened a new upholstery firm with his son, Ib Madsen, under the name Madsen og Schubell, and Schubell continued to build frames for Madsen as Schubell & Son. (At some point, Ib also traded under the name Ib Madsen and Acton Schubell.)
Vintage Madsen & Schubell chairs offer sturdy build quality and the kind of superior upholstery that is typical among mid-century Scandinavian furniture. Working with a range of woods including teak, rosewood and birch, Madsen and Schubell accented natural wood grains with soft lambswool and sheepskin for a variety of comfortable seating.
Find vintage Madsen & Schubell Clam chairs and other seating on 1stDibs.
Arnold Madsen Ottoman Stool Leather and Teak, circa 1960
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Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Rare Mid-Century 1960's Ottoman Stool designed by Arnold Madsen & Schubell in Denmark. The stool certainly would compliment Kofod Larsen Designs. The stylish design makes this pi...
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Mohair, Wood
Madsen & Schubell, Stool, Wood, Fabric, Denmark, 1950s
By Madsen & Schubell
Located in High Point, NC
A wood and floral-printed fabric stool produced by Madsen & Schubell, Denmark, c. 1950s. Overall Dimensions (inches): 16.75"H x 22.75"W x 14.4"D All items ship from High Point, Nor...
Fabric, Wood
Madsen & Schubell, Stool, Wood, Fabric, Denmark, 1950s
By Madsen & Schubell
Located in High Point, NC
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Fabric, Wood
Madsen & Schubell, Stool, Wood, Mohair, Denmark, 1950s
By Madsen & Schubell
Located in High Point, NC
A wood and beige mohair fabric stool produced by Madsen & Schubell, Denmark, c. 1950s. Wear to wood legs consistent with vintage age and normal use. Reupholstered in brand new m...
Mohair, Wood
Danish Modern Teak Stool / Ottoman
Located in Denton, TX
Solid thick teak wood with dovetailed corners can be also used for a side table.
Teak
Wood Tripod Heart Stool, 1950s France
Located in Los Angeles, CA
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$12,800
H 37.41 in W 28.35 in D 30.71 in
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By Ib Madsen and Acton Schubell
Located in Odense, DK
A very rare version of "The Prague Chair" and stool in teak, reupholstered in a luxurious vintage fabric from the 1980s. Designed by Henry Hans Schubell for Ib Madsen & Acton Schubel...
Fabric, Teak
Madsen & Schubell Sheepskin Pragh Chair & Stool c1950s
By Madsen & Schubell
Located in London, England
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Sheepskin, Beech
Danish Teak Stool 1950s
Located in Čelinac, BA
Danish Teak Stool 1950s
Fabric, Teak
Madsen & Schubell Sheepskin Pragh Chair & Stool c1950s
By Madsen & Schubell
Located in London, England
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Sheepskin, Teak
$2,500
H 21 in W 22 in D 14.5 in
1950s Danish Stool by Ejner Larsen & Aksel Bender Madsen for Willy Beck
By Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender Madsen, Willy Beck
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a handsome solidly constructed Danish stool, featuring tapered teak dowel legs, and newly reupholstered in full grain black leather. This piece was designed by Aksel Bender M...
Leather, Teak
$4,223 / set
H 15.75 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Scandinavian Modern Stools in Oakwood & Sheepskin, Denmark, 1950s
By Madsen & Schubell
Located in Odense, DK
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Sheepskin, Oak
$680
H 14.57 in Dm 15.36 in
Danish Mid-Century Danish Hexagonal Oak Stool with Lambswool Upholstery, 1950s
By Henning Kjærnulf, Viggo Boesen, Flemming Lassen
Located in Odense, DK
This elegant stool is a fine example of Danish Modern design, crafted by a skilled Danish cabinetmaker in the 1950s. The piece features a distinctive hexagonal seat and finely carved...
Lambskin, Sheepskin, Wool, Oak
Madsen & Schubell Pragh Stool / Ottoman, Denmark, 1950s
By Ib Madsen and Acton Schubell
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A wonderful, original Pragh footstool by Ib Madsen & Acton Schubell, Denmark 1950s. Newly upholstered in a premium bespoke pure Alpaca wool fabric. Fast shipping worldwide.
Beech, Alpaca
$14,285
H 38.19 in W 29.14 in D 37.01 in
Madsen & Schubell Pragh Armchair in Navy Pierre Frey Velvet, Denmark, 1950s
By La Maison Pierre Frey, Madsen & Schubell, Arnold Madsen
Located in The Hague, NL
This rare wingback chair was designed by Arnold Madsen & Henry Schubell and produced in Denmark in the 1950s. The model is a variant of their iconic Pragh armchair, designed in 1948....
Upholstery, Velvet, Beech
$1,565
H 36.23 in W 30.32 in D 27.96 in
1970s, Danish design by Madsen & Schubell, adjustable swivel lounge chair.
By Madsen & Schubell
Located in Tarm, 82
1970s, Danish design by Madsen & Schubell. Adjustable swivel lounge chair model MS68. Brown furniture leather, five fingers teak wood base. Original condition: no smells, no stains a...
Steel
Arnold Madsen Sheepskin Clam Chair & Stool
By Arnold Madsen
Located in London, England
Official Re-Edition of the iconic Clam Chair & Stool by Arnold Madsen. The Clam Chair was designed in 1944 in Copenhagen by Danish upholsterer Arnold Madsen. In 1945 Arnold founded ...
Sheepskin, Fabric, Bouclé, Oak, Walnut
Woven Rush and Wood Stool, Europe ca 1950s
Located in Utrecht, NL
From Charlotte Perriand to Axel Einar Hjorth, stools have been staples in European design history. Modernist stools, like this organic model, stem from one of the earliest forms of s...
Rush, Wood
$3,744Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 14.97 in Dm 16.54 in
Gio Ponti Set of Two Stools in Black Lacquered Wood and Fabric 1950s Italy
By Gio Ponti
Located in Cascina, Pisa
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Fabric, Wood
Sold
H 16.15 in W 22.05 in D 14.97 in
Danish Mid-Century Stool Model Pragh by Madsen & Schubell, 1950s.
By Madsen & Schubell, Ib Madsen and Acton Schubell
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Mid-Century Stool Model Pragh by Madsen & Schubell, 1950s. Ottoman or foot stool designed by Dansih architects Ib Madsen and Acton Schubell and manufactured in their own works...
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Madsen & Schubell, Stool, Teak, Mohair, Denmark, 1950s
By Madsen & Schubell
Located in High Point, NC
A teak and green mohair stool designed and produced by Madsen & Schubell, Denmark, 1950s.
Mohair, Teak