By Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter Hvidt, Fritz Hansen
Located in Utrecht, NL
This pair of Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard Nielsen designed “Portex” armchairs are icons of functionalist design. While worrying about creating something that is too obviously meant to be stacked, the designer duo managed to create a distinctive and stylish model.
The Portex range of furniture was designed to be exported, so there was a desk where the legs could be unscrewed and shipped in the desk drawer, although this chair, actually, was shipped in its assembled form. The designers even explained the functional aspects that were taken into account in the design:
"While we realized the necessity of being able to dismantle or fold up cupboards, tables and beds during transport, we did not dare use these principles for chairs. {…} A chair must often bear great weight, must be able to tolerate being tilted, and will be moved more or less brutally throughout the day. {…} The stacking principle was chosen since it has the advantage that the chair could be assembled and finished at the factory. The disadvantage was that the known stacking chairs show clear signs that they can be stacked."
The final chair...
Category
1940s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Chairs