The Safari chair, created by legendary Danish designer Kaare Klint (1888–1954) in 1933, has roots in one of the earliest known examples of do-it-yourself furniture. Specific accounts vary, but Klint was inspired by an image of a Roorkhee chair (perhaps spotted in a travel guide) being used on an African safari.
Named for the headquarters of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers in Roorkhee, a city in Northern India, the Roorkhee chair was a military campaign chair that was popular with British officers during World War I. The chair’s maker, who was tasked in the late 19th century with developing lightweight, adaptable seating that could be quickly taken apart for the British military, remains unknown. The Roorkhee’s seat was made of stretched canvas while the armrests were leather straps, and it was probably the design’s practical simplicity that appealed to Klint, who is celebrated for having incorporated rigorous research on precedents, proportions and materials into his designs.
At the time of the Safari chair’s inception, Klint — whose start in design owes to the influence of his father, architect P.V. Jensen Klint, as well as a furniture-making apprenticeship at age 15 — was already playing a prominent role in the trajectory of Danish design. He was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in furniture design (a department he founded in 1924), where his students included Hans Wegner, Ole Wanscher and others. Through his own remarkable designs as well as his teaching, Klint became known as the “father of Danish modernism.”
Although Klint’s interpretation of the clever military campaign chair design is the most faithful to the original, other modern chairs based on the Roorkhee include Le Corbusier’s Basculant chair and the Wassily chair designed by Marcel Breuer.
The Safari chair’s flexible structure sees an integration of loose mortise-and-tenon joints that are strengthened when someone sits in it. As compared to vintage versions of the Roorkhee, it’s clear that Klint made important changes in designing his chair, such as an angling of the seat that better supports ergonomics. The chair was originally produced by Rud Rasmussen Snedkerier and exhibited at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition in 1933.
Today, the solid wood Safari — made of Danish ash with a canvas or ox-hide seat and saddle-leather armrests — is manufactured by Carl Hansen & Søn. A seat cushion and footstool are available, and like its lightweight 1930s-era prototype, the chair can be assembled and taken apart without the use of tools.
Safari Chair by Kaare Klint, 1969
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Los Angeles, CA
wonderful safari chair designed by Kaare Klint for Rud. Rasmussen’s Snedkerier, with patinated ash frame, seat, back, straps and loose cushion in leather, designed in 1933, produced ...
Leather, Ash
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen Safari Chairs in Brown Canvas and Ash
By Kaare Klint, Rud Rasmussen
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, pair of safari chairs model 'KK47000', ash, canvas, metal, brass, leather, Denmark, designed in 1933 and produced in 1960s. The chair shows very eleg...
Metal, Brass
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, Pair of Safari Chairs
By Kaare Klint, Rud Rasmussen
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Pair of Safari chairs new upholstered with vintage aniline leather. New straps of butt hide leather. Frame in solid ash. Model Safari chair, made...
Leather, Ash
Safari Chair by Kaare Klindt in Cognac Leather
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Karlstad, SE
Classic Safari chair by Kaare Klindt, manufactured by Rud Rasmusen, Denmark. This chair shows perfect original patina on the leather. Condition: The leather is well taken care of an...
Leather, Ash
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, Safari Chair with ottoman
By Kaare Klint, Rud Rasmussen
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Safari chair new upholstered with Vintage aniline leather. With ottoman. Frame in solid ash. Model Safari chair, made by Rud Rasmussen.
Leather, Ash
Kaare Klint Safari Chair by Rud Rasmussen, Ash Frame & Leather
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Safari chair new upholstered with Vintage aniline leather. Straps maintained in the original patinated lea...
Leather, Ash
$1,534Sale Price|33% Off
Kaare Klint, Cognac Leather Safari Chair for Rud Rasmussen, 1960s
By Kaare Klint, Rud Rasmussen
Located in Uppsala, SE
The legendary safari chair in cognac coloured leather on a very dark oak frame designed by the grandfather of Danish design, Kaare Klint, in 1933 for his long time collaborator Rud R...
Leather, Oak
Pair of Kaare Klint Safari Lounge Chairs for Rud Rasmussen
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Danish lounge chairs designed by Kaare Klint in 1933 and produced by Rud Rasmussen in the 1960s. This pair features an ash wood frame strapped together by camel-colored leather sling...
Brass
Kaare Klint Safari Chair, Black Leather & Ash Frame, Denmark, 1960s
By Kaare Klint, Rud Rasmussen
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Safari chair new upholstered with black aniline leather. Straps in new butt leather. Frame in solid ash black laquered ash. Model Safari chair, m...
Leather, Ash
Two 1950s Danish Safari Chairs in Oak and Tan Leather by Kaare Klint
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Shepperton, Surrey
An original pair of 1950s Danish safari chairs by Kaare Klint for Rud. Rasmussen. Known both as a furniture designer and a professor, Klint laid the foundation for Scandinavian moder...
Brass
Kaare Klint KK47000 "Safari" Chair in Patinated Leather, Denmark, 1930s
By Kaare Klint
Located in Utrecht, NL
Kaare Klint’s “KK47000” Safari chair is a refined version of the chairs brought on an African safari by an American cinematographer and his wife. Klint noticed the chairs in the couple’s photos, and they were most likely based on Roorkhee Chairs, the seminal pieces of British campaign furniture used by the military...
Leather, Wood
Kaare Klint Safari Chair, Rasmussen Edition
By Kaare Klint
Located in Stamford, CT
A Model KK47000 Kaare Klint Safari chair produced in Denmark by Rasmussen.
Leather
Pair of Safari Easy Chairs in Ash, Brass and Leather by Kaare Klint, 1950's
By Kaare Klint
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Pair of Safari Easy Chairs in Ash, Brass and Leather by Kaare Klint, 1950's Additional Information: Material: Ash, brass and leather Style: Mid century, Scandinavian Produced by Rud...
Brass
Kaare Klint Safari Chair, Black Leather & Ash Frame, Denmark, 1960s
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Safari chair new upholstered with black aniline leather. Straps in new butt leather. Frame in solid ash...
Leather, Ash
Kaare Klint "Safari" Reclining Armchair and Ottoman
By Kaare Klint
Located in Austin, TX
Iconic black leather Safari chair by Kaare Klint with matching ottoman/footstool. The chair reclines well and supports weight. Original leather straps are in tact with a minimal amou...
Leather, Wood
Pair of Pristine Midcentury Lounge Chairs in Patinated Leather by Kaare Klint
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Lejre, DK
Pair of safari chairs in patinated leather. Designed by Maa. Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen Cabinetmakers of Denmark in 1933. Great original condition.
Leather, Ash
Pair of Safari Lounge chairs by Kaare Klint, Rasmussen, Denmark
By Kaare Klint
Located in Argelato, BO
Pair of Safari lounge chairs by Kaare Klint, Rasmussen, Denmark Pair of Safari Lounge Chairs, in leather and wood, model KK47000 by Kaare Klint (1888-1954) for Rud. Rasmussen Snedke...
Leather, Wood
Kaare Klint Safari Chair by Rud Rasmussen, Black Leather, 1960s
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Safari chair new upholstered with black aniline leather. Straps in new butt leather. Frame in solid ash...
Leather, Ash
Kaare Klint Safari Chair Produced by Rud Rasmussen in Denmark
By Kaare Klint
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare safari chair designed by Kaare Klint. Produced by Rud Rasmussen in Denmark.
Brass
Kaare Klint Safari Chair, Rasmussen Edition
By Kaare Klint
Located in Stamford, CT
Kaare Klint Safari chair - Rasmussen Edition of canvas and leather. With later canvas.
Leather, Canvas
Kaare Klint Safari Chair in Oak and Leather, Denmark, Early 20th Century
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in London, GB
Safari Chair designed by Kaare Klint and produced by Rud Rasmussen, Denmark, early twentieth century. The design is based on traditional campaign furniture, assembled without fixed j...
Brass
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, Pair of Safari Chairs
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Pair of Safari chairs new upholstered with mokka aniline leather. New straps of butt hide leather. Frame in solid ash. Model Safari chair, made by Ru...
Leather, Ash
$2,481 / item
H 31.5 in W 22.05 in D 22.84 in
Kaare Klint Safari Chair, Black Leather & Ash Frame, Denmark, 1960s
By Kaare Klint, Rud Rasmussen
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Safari chair new upholstered with black aniline leather. Straps in new butt leather. Frame in solid ash black laquered ash. Model Safari chair, m...
Leather, Ash
Abel Gonzalez Sling Safari Chair in Cognac Leather
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Abel Gonzalez, sling safari chair, wood, leather, brass, Argentina, 1960s. This safari chair by the Argentinian designer Abel Gonzalez is based on a pro...
Brass
1940s Kaare Klint 3-Seat Sofa for Rud. Rasmussen, Denmark
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Praha, CZ
This rare three-seater sofa is a masterpiece of Danish Modern design by the legendary architect Kaare Klint. Produced by the prestigious furniture maker Rud. Rasmussen, this sofa is ...
Fabric, Wood, Textile, Upholstery
Kaare Klint Leather Safari Chair, 1960s
By Kaare Klint
Located in Stockholm, SE
Kaare Klint "Safari chair" in patinated original cognac brown leather. Designed by Kaare Klint in 1933, produced by Rud. Rasmussen, Denmark.
Leather
$3,325
H 31.7 in W 22.64 in D 24.61 in
Kaare Klint KK47000 "Safari" Chair in Patinated Leather, Denmark, 1930s
By Kaare Klint
Located in Utrecht, NL
Kaare Klint’s “KK47000” Safari chair is a refined version of the chairs brought on an African safari by an American cinematographer and his wife. Klint noticed the chairs in the couple’s photos, and they were most likely based on Roorkhee Chairs, the seminal pieces of British campaign furniture used by the military...
Leather, Wood
$2,131
H 31.89 in W 22.45 in D 23.23 in
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, Safari Chair, Original Leather, 1960s
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Safari chair original patinated aniline leather. Straps maintained in the original patinated leather. Frame in solid ash. Model Safari chair, made b...
Leather, Ash
Kaare Klint Safari Chair Produced by Rud Rasmussen in Denmark
By Kaare Klint
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare safari chair designed by Kaare Klint. Produced by Rud Rasmussen in Denmark.
Brass
$2,605
H 27.5 in W 25 in D 24.7 in
Early Karin Mobring Model Cognac Leather Safari Lounge Chair Vintage Ikea, 1970s
Located in Lisse, NL
Beautiful design and amazing original condition chair. The design and the look and feel of this rare chair reminded me of what someone once taught me about good sculptures, "they look great from all angles". And what is particularly important for a chair, that it is very comfortable to sit in as well. Which it is. In this world people have very different thoughts about IKEA furniture and they are all right. Simply, because people all have different ideas about designs and quality and durabilty etc. The reality is that IKEA has never been bigger or more popular (worldwide) and especially some of the earlier design will be the antiques of the future. This rare, stylish and comfortable, midcentury modern chair from the early days of Swedish Ikea...
Leather, Wood, Pine
Kaare Klint Safari Chair, Rasmussen Edition
By Kaare Klint
Located in Stamford, CT
Kaare Klint Safari chair - Rasmussen Edition of canvas and leather. With later canvas.
Leather, Canvas
$7,152 / set
H 31.89 in W 22.05 in D 23.63 in
Vintage Scandinavian "Safari" Lounge Chairs by Kaare Klint, Denmark, 1960s
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Pair of cool “Safari” lounge chairs by Kaare Klint. Oak frame with nicely tapering legs, cognac leather with very nice details.
Leather, Oak
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, pair of Safari Chairs
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Safari chairs original patinated aniline leather. Straps maintained in the original patinated leather. Frame in solid ash. Model Safari chair, made b...
Leather, Ash
Sold
H 31.89 in W 22.84 in D 22.84 in
Kaare Klint "Safari" Lounge Chairs in Black Leather & Ash, Rud Rasmussen, 1950s
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Odense, DK
Beautiful pair of vintage "Safari" chairs in deeply patinated black leather and dark stained solid ash. Designed by Kaare Klint in the 1930s and manufactured by cabinetmaker Rud. Ras...
Leather, Ash
Kaare Klint Model KK47000 Safari Lounge Chair
By Kaare Klint
Located in Astoria, NY
Kaare Klint (Danish, 1888-1954) Model KK47000, Safari Lounge Chair, ash wood frame with tan leather straps and canvas seat and back. 32" H x 22.5" W x 22.25" D; seat: 12.75" H. Pro...
Leather, Canvas, Ash
Sold
H 31.5 in W 22.45 in D 23.63 in
‘Safari’ Easy Chair by Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, Denmark 1950s
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Antwerp, BE
Lovely ‘Safari’ easy chair by Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, Denmark 1950s. This chair embody the essence of Danish modernism, combining elegance, functionality, and craftsmanship. I...
Canvas, Oak
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, Safari Chairs
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Safari chairs original patinated aniline leather. Straps maintained in the original patinated leather. Frame in solid ash. Model Safari chair, made b...
Leather, Ash
Safari Chair Kaare Klint Denmark, 1950s
By Kaare Klint, Rud Rasmussen
Located in London, GB
Description: A black leather Safari Chair, designed by Kaare Klint in 1933 and produced by Rud Rasmussen during the 1950s.This leather "Safari" or " Campaign" chair was designed by D...
Leather
Sold
H 31.5 in W 22.45 in D 22.05 in
Set Of Two Safari Armchairs Made In Ash & Brown Canvas By Kaare Klint
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Lejre, DK
A set of safari armchairs designed by Kaare Klint and manufactured by Rud. Rasmussen. The chairs are made of ash wood with a seat and back in brown canvas and armrests in full grain ...
Ash
Sold
H 31.5 in W 22.45 in D 22.45 in
Safari armchair designed by Kaare Klint for Rasmussen black leather
By Kaare Klint
Located in SAINT-YRIEIX-SUR-CHARENTE, FR
Safari’ armchair designed in 1933 by Kaare Klint (1888-1954), edited in the 1950s by Rud Rasmussen in Denmark. Made from stained ash and leather, this armchair is self-assembling and...
Leather, Ash
Sold
H 31.89 in W 22.84 in D 22.84 in
Kaare Klint Safari Chair in Black Leather and Ash for Rud Rasmussen, Denmark
By Kaare Klint, Rud Rasmussen
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Iconic pair Safari armchairs (model KK 47000) designed by Kaare Klint in 1933 and manufactured by Rud Rasmussen, Denmark. Ash wooden frame upholstered with black leather seat, back a...
Leather, Ash
Safari Chair by Kaare Klint for Rud, Rasmussen
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Oakland, CA
Iconic original safari chair by professor Kaare Klint. Designed 1927. This version dates to the 1960s and is executed in solid stained ash. Nice patina to the wood, and left unrestor...
Leather, Canvas, Ash
Sold
H 31.89 in W 22.84 in D 22.84 in
Kaare Klint "Safari" Lounge Chairs in Red Leather and Ash, Rud Rasmussen, 1950s
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Odense, DK
Absolutely stunning pair of vintage "Safari" chairs in deeply patinated red oxhide and solid ash. Designed by Kaare Klint in the 1930s and manufactured by cabinetmaker Rud. Rasmussen...
Leather, Ash
Sold
H 31.5 in W 22.84 in D 22.84 in
Pair ‘Safari’ Easy Chairs by Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, Denmark 1950s
By Kaare Klint
Located in Bochum, NRW
Lovely pair ‘Safari’ model 4700 easy chairs by Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, Denmark 1950s. This set features a frame made out of stained oak with leather straps. Frame in oak with ...
Leather, Fabric, Oak
Sold
H 31.89 in W 22.84 in D 22.84 in
Kaare Klint Safari Chair in Grey Canvas and Dark Stained Ash for Rud Rasmussen
By Rud Rasmussen, Kaare Klint
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Iconic Safari armchair (model KK 47000) designed by Kaare Klint in 1933 and manufactured by Rud Rasmussen, Denmark. Dark brown stained Ash wooden frame upholstered with grey / blue c...
Ash, Canvas
