Pair of Easy Chairs by Grete Jalk, Model FD-118, 1950s
View Similar Items
Pair of Easy Chairs by Grete Jalk, Model FD-118, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Grete Jalk (Designer),France & Daverkosen (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 28.35 in (72 cm)Depth: 27.56 in (70 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Lisboa, PT
- Reference Number:Seller: 07567/21 1stDibs: LU4727224247882
Grete Jalk
What would the reputation of mid-century Danish furniture be without legendary female designer Grete Jalk? A pioneer of Scandinavian modernism, Jalk sought to craft furniture that was both cost-efficient and high in quality, each piece made for the evolving interiors and design sensibilities of the day. She continues to be celebrated for her sleek and minimal armchairs, lounge chairs, coffee tables and more.
Jalk was born in 1920 in Copenhagen. She studied at the Drawing and Applied Art School for Women before enrolling at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where famed designer Kaare Klint was among her instructors. Jalk completed her studies in 1946 and began a cabinetmaker apprenticeship. That same year, she won an award at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild competition. Jalk also participated in the 1951 Milan Triennial exhibition, where her designs earned more acclaim and attention.
In 1954, Jalk opened her own design studio and began working with major Danish furniture manufacturers like Fritz Hansen and Glostrup Møbelfabrik. She found inspiration in plywood experiments carried out by Alvar Aalto and Ray and Charles Eames, and she quickly became known for her pared-back, expressive designs, which touted fluid forms and were made of alluring woods such as teak and rosewood.
Jalk’s best-known work is the 1963 GJ chair, a collaboration with cabinetmaker Poul Jeppesen that won first place in the Daily Mail International Furniture Competition. Made of two pieces of molded teak plywood, the sculptural GJ lounge chair is part of the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art.
While creating her iconic furniture designs, Jalk wore many other hats. She taught at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and served as an editor of the Danish design magazine Mobilia from 1956–62 and 1968–74. In 1974, Jalk curated a traveling design exhibition for the Danish Foreign Ministry and was named a member of the Danish Design Council in 1981. She was also the editor of 40 Years of Danish Furniture Design: The Copenhagen Cabinet-makers' Guild Exhibitions 1927–1966, published in 1987.
Jalk passed away in 2006 at the age of 86. In 2008, Danish furniture manufacturer Lange Production was granted exclusive rights to reproduce the GJ chair, a design as fresh and original today as ever.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Grete Jalk seating, tables and storage pieces.
France & Daverkosen
The giant of mid-century furniture design France & Søn began its remarkable journey as a Danish firm specializing in the production and exporting of Scandinavian design called France & Daverkosen.
British businessman Charles William Fearnley France and Danish cabinetmaker Eric Daverkosen entered into a joint venture in 1936 — France being the investor and Daverkosen the head designer for their small mattress factory. Soon after production started at the France & Daverkosen company, Daverkosen became quite ill.
Concerned for his friend and their fledgling business, France traveled to Denmark, and Daverkosen died soon after his partner arrived. While France was attempting to make arrangements to transfer the company into his hands, World War II erupted, and Germany invaded Denmark. As a British citizen, France was captured and sent to a prison camp in Germany.
While in captivity, France developed several manufacturing ideas to pass the time and to keep his mind focused. He imagined a way to create lightweight wooden chairs that could be manufactured on an industrial scale and transported using an economic flat-pack format. He also thought of a way to retool his mattress factory to create chair backs, seats and sofa cushions.
Once freed, France returned to his business in Denmark and began to manufacture beech and teak goods that were gaining widespread acclaim around the world. He began to surround himself with some of the best Scandinavian designers of the time: Finn Juhl, Grete Jalk and Ole Wanscher, to name a few.
By 1954, France & Daverkosen accounted for 60 percent of all Danish furniture exports and their factory employed 350 people. Charles’s son James joined the company in 1957, which resulted in the name change to France & Søn.
Later, France & Søn was acquired by Danish designer Poul Cadovius, who folded it into the operations at CADO, a company he founded during the 1950s.
On 1stDibs, find France & Daverkosen seating, tables and more.
- Pair of Teak Armchairs by Grete Jalk by Poul Jeppesen in 1956By Grete Jalk, Poul Jeppesens MøbelfabrikLocated in Lisboa, LisboaThis image features a pair of mid-century modern armchairs accompanied by a matching stool, designed by Grete Jalk. The chairs and the stool are crafted from teak wood, which has age...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
$5,721 Sale Price / set20% Off - Mid Century Ole Wanscher Easy Chairs Model PJ 112 Rosewood, Denmark 1950sBy Ole Wanscher, Poul Jeppesens MøbelfabrikLocated in Lisboa, LisboaThis exquisite pair of Mid-Century armchairs, designed by Ole Wanscher for Poul Jeppesen Møbelfabrik, model PJ112, are masterpieces of Danish design. Crafted from lustrous rosewood, ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Rosewood
$7,042 Sale Price / set20% Off - Modern Pair of Rosewood “Sirocco” Armchairs by Arne Norell, 1960By Arne Norell, AB Möbelfabriken BalderLocated in Lisboa, LisboaThis mid-century modern pair of armchairs, designed by Arne Norell, is a testament to the sophistication and timeless appeal of Scandinavian design. Hailing from the 1960s and of Swe...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood
$6,161 Sale Price / set20% Off - Mid-Century Pair of Rosewood Armchairs “Sirocco” by Arne Norell, 1960By Arne Norell, AB Möbelfabriken BalderLocated in Lisboa, LisboaThis pair of mid-century armchairs is an embodiment of Scandinavian design excellence, crafted by the esteemed Arne Norell, with a provenance rooted in 1960s Sweden. They showcase th...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood
$6,161 Sale Price / set20% Off - Svend Skipper "Model 91" Lounge Chair for Skipper Mobler, 1950'sBy Skipper Mobler, Svend SkipperLocated in Lisboa, LisboaPair of Papa Bear style chair, newly renovated and newly upholstered. The chair was designed by Svend Skipper in 1950s and manufactured by Skipper Mobler. The outermost part of the a...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
- Teak Armchair By Arne Vodder for Sibast , 1950sBy Sibast, Arne VodderLocated in Lisboa, LisboaThis mid-century modern armchair is a quintessential embodiment of Danish design, crafted with a keen attention to form and function. Designed by the acclaimed Arne Vodder for Sibast...Category
Antique 1850s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsTeak
$836 Sale Price20% Off
- Pair of Grete Jalk Model 118 armchairs in Teak for France & Daverkosen, 1950sBy France & Daverkosen, Grete JalkLocated in Hellouw, NLCharming pair of Grete Jalk Model 118 armchairs in teak and fabric for France & Daverkosen from 1955. These two comfortable chairs are the first o...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
- Two 1950s Danish "118" Lounge Chairs in Teak by Grete JalkBy France & Daverkosen, Grete JalkLocated in Shepperton, SurreyA pair of "model 118" lounge chairs in teak by Danish designer Grete Jalk for France and Daverkosen. These early 1950s chairs have a beautiful streamlined design, with sculpted a...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTeak
$4,611 Sale Price / set20% Off - Danish Teak Easy Chair by Grete Jalk with New UpholsteryBy France & Søn, Grete JalkLocated in St-Brais, JUClassic easy chair by Grete Jalk for France & Son. Made in Denamark during the 1950s. Produced by France & Son. Features a high-quality solid wooden frame made of teak with new uphol...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWool, Upholstery, Teak
- Scandinavian Modern Easy Chair, Model 118, in Teak by Grete Jalk, France and SonBy France & Søn, Grete JalkLocated in Lejre, DKEasy chair, model 118, in teak and black elegance leather designed by Grete Jalk and manufactured by France & Son in the 1960s. The chair is in great vintage condition and of classic...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTeak, Leather
- Mid-Century Modern Pair of Lounge Chairs in Teak Model 118 by Grete JalkBy Grete JalkLocated in Courbevoie, FRMid-Century Modern pair of lounge chairs in teak model 118 by Grete Jalk for France and Daverkosen.Referenced by the Design Museum Danmark under number RP03605. First edition from 19...Category
Vintage 1950s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsTeak
- Pair of Grete Jalk Easy Chairs, Denmark, 1960sBy Grete JalkLocated in Stockholm, SEPair of easy chairs by Grete Jalk, Denmark, 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsTeak
$4,951 / set