Kai Kristiansen Model 42, Set of 4
View Similar Items
Kai Kristiansen Model 42, Set of 4
About the Item
- Creator:Kai Kristiansen (Designer),Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29.14 in (74 cm)Width: 20.87 in (53 cm)Length: 29.14 in (74 cm)Seat Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading. Frames in terrific condition and cleaned/polished. Leather has age patina to seat pads.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1232226608192
Chair #42
A radical, simple piece of furniture, Kai Kristiansen's (b. 1929) Chair #42 perfectly exemplifies Danish modern design’s meld of form, space and functionality.
Produced in 1956 for Danish manufacturer Schou Andersen, the functional and modest properties of Kristiansen’s minimalist dining chair are emphasized when viewed from the front. Admiring Chair #42 from the side tells a different story, however, as the focus shifts from its sharply inclined rear legs and joined armrests to a tilting, floating backrest.
The chair’s profile is dramatic and radical, and examining the frame from this perspective helps clarify why Chair #42 earned the nickname “Z Chair” over the years. Kristiansen’s elegant piece is both simple and technically difficult, its soft lines belying the expert craftsmanship therein while referencing earlier artisan furniture that influenced the Danish modern movement as well as Kristiansen himself.
Trained as a cabinetmaker, Kristiansen studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen under Kaare Klint, who is widely recognized as one of the founders of modern Danish design. The young Kristiansen established his practice soon after, focusing mostly on seating and storage for prominent Danish manufacturers such as Andersen, Fritz Hansen and Magnus Olesen. While he’s largely known for the quality of his designs, Kristiansen was equally comfortable designing chairs, desks, sideboards and wall units.
Kristiansen designed the Model 31 chair shortly after Chair #42 — a similar model, with inlaid arms — as well as the popular Paper Knife series of sofas and chairs. As a designer, he favored teak and rosewood, and garnered major renown for his dark-wood FM modular wall unit in 1957 for Feldballes Møbelfabrik. The customizable shelving system was popular throughout Europe and in the United States, and remains one of the best-known examples of modular shelving, predating Dieter Rams’s 606 Universal Shelving System for Vitsoe by several years. Many of Kristiansen’s designs fell out of production due to their manufacturing challenges, although some collections have recently been reissued by Japan’s Miyazaki Chair Factory.
The stripped-down, spare Chair #42 is one of the earliest modern ergonomic chairs, specifically designed to support the sitter. Suitable for a dining room or as a reading chair, it is Kristiansen’s best-known chair. The piece has effectively remained in production since the 1950s and is currently available from Miyazaki.
Kai Kristiansen
With a passion for math and engineering, Kai Kristiansen has created high-quality wood furniture for decades. Beginning in the 1950s, his chairs, modular shelving and other furnishings were made in the style that would become internationally renowned as Danish modern and boasted clean lines, perfected functionality and exacting craftsmanship.
Born in Denmark, Kristiansen trained in cabinetmaking before studying with Kaare Klint, often cited as the “father of modern Danish design,” at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. At just 26 years old, Kristiansen opened his own studio.
Kristiansen had his mid-century breakthrough in 1956 with the Chair #42, which he made with Schou Andersen. Unlike most other chairs at the time, Chair #42’s armrests, with their wealth of radical angles, were connected to the back rather than the front legs. This unconventional flourish makes the backrest appear as though it is floating in midair above the seat. Kristiansen’s next innovation was a modular wall system in 1957 — three years ahead of Dieter Rams’s more famous 606 Universal Shelving System. Called the Reolsystem Wall Unit, produced by SB Feldballes Møbelfabrik, it’s also known as the FM Wall Unit as FM/Fornem Møbelkunst began producing it in the 1960s. Kristiansen would go on to work with other leading Danish furniture manufacturers such as Magnus Olesen, Fritz Hansen and Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik, designing everything from chairs and desks to sideboards and cabinets, frequently in rosewood and teak. (The latter was a sought-after wood by Scandinavian modern designers.)
While many of Kristiansen’s timeless designs remain in production, such as his Paper Knife sofa, which was reintroduced by Miyazaki Chair Factory in 2008, and his 1950s Entré collection, which was relaunched with Great Dane Furniture in 2016, others are prized as vintage mid-century pieces. Today, Kristiansen is still at work on new furniture with an expert eye to thoughtfully functional designs that are made to last.
Find a collection of vintage Kai Kristiansen furniture on 1stDibs.
- Set of 8 Grete Jalk oak & teak dining chairs, 6 side, 2 carversBy Grete Jalk, SibastLocated in London, GBAn incredibly rare set of 8 dining chairs by Grete Jalk. Model 32-42 designed by Grete Jalk in 1962 and produced by the fine furniture maker Sibast. This striking Scandinavian Moder...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak, Teak
- Korup Stolefabrik Modernist Dining Chairs, Set of 4By Korup StolefabrikLocated in London, GBA superb set of four dining chairs by Korup Stolefabrik. Produced in Denmark in the early 1960's. A great example of European modernist design. Teak frames with perfect little armres...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
- Danish Teak Dining Chairs, Randers, 1960By Schionning & Elgaard, Randers MøbelfabrikLocated in London, GBA set of 4 very nicely crafted Danish teak dining chairs designed by Schionning and Elgaard for Randers, circa 1960. Lovely condition with ne...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWool, Teak
$2,099 / set - Handcrafted English Oak BenchLocated in London, GBA handmade English oak staked legged dining bench. These resilient and striking benches are made to typical dining seat height but can be utilised in many other ways. Incredibly so...Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Benches
MaterialsOak
$934 / item - Handcrafted Oak Single Seat BenchLocated in London, GBHandcrafted English oak staked legged single seater bench. Produced in London, England. Much of this work is characterised by the predominant use of...Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Benches
MaterialsOak
- Pair of Handcrafted Walnut NightstandsLocated in London, GBHandcrafted architectural American black walnut nightstands. Designed at Sum furniture and handcrafted using traditional furniture making techniques with the finest American Black Wa...Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Night Stands
MaterialsWalnut
$4,761 / set
- Dining Chairs by Kai Kristiansen Model 42By Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Vienna, ATDining chairs, model 42, designed by Kai Kristiansen and manufactured in Denmark by Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik. The chairs are made from solid teak, featuring tapered legs, curved ar...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsHardwood, Teak
$1,100 / item - Set of 6 Dining Room Chairs Model 42 in Rosewood By Kai KristiansenBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Lejre, DKThis set of 6 dining chairs is an excellent representation of the timeless and elegant style that characterizes mid-20th century Danish furniture design. The chairs are model 42, des...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRosewood
- Set of 4 Teak Model 42 Armchairs by Kai Kristiansen for Schou AndersenBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Little Burstead, EssexA very nice set of 4 classic Scandinavian Modern Teak Model 42 armchairs by Kai Kristiansen for Schou Andersen, with fresh black leatherette seats and backs.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Teak
- Set of Four Kai Kristiansen Model 42 Dining Chairs in TeakBy Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik, Kai KristiansenLocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: Denmark Designer: Kai Kristiansen Manufacturer: Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik Era: 1958 Materials: Teak Measurements: 21.5″ wide x 20″ deep x 29″ tall Seat: 18.5″ wide x 17″ dee...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak
- Set of Six Kai Kristiansen Model 42 Dining Chairs in RosewoodBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: Denmark Designer: Kai Kristiansen Manufacturer: Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik Era: 1960s Materials: Rosewood Measurements: 21.5″ wide x 20″ deep x 29″ tall Seat: 18.5″ wide x 17...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRosewood
- Set of Six Kai Kristiansen Model 42 Dining Chairs in RosewoodBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: Denmark Designer: Kai Kristiansen Manufacturer: Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik Era: 1958 Materials: Rosewood Measurements: 21.5″ wide x 20″ deep x 29″ tall Seat: 18.5″ wide x 17″...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRosewood