Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
A trained cabinetmaker, Poul Kjærholm’s use of industrial methods and materials in the 1960s brought a fresh, graceful, sleek new style to Danish modern design.
At what is now the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, Kjærholm studied under Hans Wegner and Jørn Utzon — an industrial designer and the architect of the celebrated Sydney Opera House. The latter greatly influenced Kjærholm’s furniture production techniques — although he employed natural materials such as cane and leather, to a far greater extent than his peers Kjærholm embraced the use of steel (rather than wood) framing for his chairs, daybeds and tables.
Kjærholm’s signal design was the PK22 chair of 1956, a low-slung leather lounger on a steel base. The ideas introduced in the PK22 — Kjærholm’s designs were named using a numeric system devised with his manufacturer, E. Kold Christensen — were refined throughout his career, as the offerings below show: the PK11 chair of 1957, with back and armrests formed by a semicircle of ash; the capacious, richly patinated leather seat of a vintage 1961 PK9 chair; the elegant rattan swoop of the PK 24 chaise longue (1965). The chaise longue's leather headrest, held in place by a steel counterweight, best shows Kjærholm's particular gift for combining technological advancements with a respect for traditional detailing.
While respectful of the past, Poul Kjærholm's sensibility is one of optimism and expectation. His was design for those who lived with verve and élan, and confidently anticipated the future.
Find a collection of vintage Poul Kjærholm furniture on 1stDibs.
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Steel
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Stainless Steel
2010s Danish Modern Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Iron, Aluminum
2010s Danish Modern Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Aluminum, Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Chrome
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Blown Glass
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Chrome
2010s French Mid-Century Modern Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Alabaster, Stainless Steel
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Aluminum
2010s Danish Modern Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Brass, Iron
1980s Italian Vintage Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s French Mid-Century Modern Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Alabaster, Stainless Steel
2010s Danish Modern Poul Kjaerholm Lighting
Brass, Iron