Classic Hans Wegner Round Chair
About the Item
- Creator:Johannes Hansen (Maker),Hans J. Wegner (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s-1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Structurally sound and sturdy, shows cosmetic wear, please see description, and images.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU978718678952
Round Chair
In September of 1960, when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy sat down for the first nationally televised presidential debate, the two candidates rested on one of the most celebrated designs of the 20th century. Often called simply “The Chair,” the Round chair is one of hundreds designed by Hans J. Wegner (1914–2007). As he once said, “The good chair is a task one is never completely done with.”
Nicknamed the “Master of the Chair,” influential Danish designer Wegner inventively used natural materials in his work and, in particular, experimented with different types of wood instead of the industrial materials favored by 20th-century European modernism.
In his highly functional pieces with their timeless silhouettes, Wegner celebrated the textures of oak, walnut, birch and others while concealing joints inside the various pieces for a seamless frame. Sometimes described as “Organic Functionality,” his approach exemplified the aesthetics of Scandinavian modern design in its reduction of an object to its essential elements while using that sparsity to elevate its materials.
The son of a cobbler, Wegner later apprenticed to a master cabinetmaker and studied at the Technical University of Denmark and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (then the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts). He opened his furniture design firm in 1943 and throughout his career centered his practice on craftsmanship and constantly reimagined the shape of the utilitarian chair.
He debuted the Round chair in 1949, first showing it at the Annual Exhibition of the Cabinetmakers’ Guild in Copenhagen. Wegner called it simply “the round one.” A semicircle of wood is balanced on its tapered legs, with either a handwoven cane or leather seat stretched between them. Its open back offers comfort for movement, an alternative to traditional straight-back chairs; its finely turned arms provide support without intruding on the sitter’s space. Incorporating 11 pieces of wood and zigzag joints to offer the appearance of a continuous semicircle of wood from the arms to the back, the Round chair’s form is minimal but showcases expert carpentry. In 1950, Interiors magazine declared it “the most beautiful chair in the world.”
Wegner took incredible care with his designs, believing that a good piece of furniture should last a lifetime. Originally manufactured by Danish furniture maker Johannes Hansen, the Round chair is now produced by Danish joinery workshop PP Møbler, which has sought to guard Wegner’s design through meticulous craftsmanship so it can continue to be enjoyed for generations.
Hans J. Wegner
Best known for his chairs and seating pieces — though a master of many furniture types like sofas and tables — Hans Wegner was a prolific designer whose elegant, often ebullient, forms and devotion to the finest methods in joinery made "Danish Modern" a popular byword for stylish, well-made furniture in the mid-20th century.
Wegner considered himself a carpenter first and a furniture designer second. Like his peers Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl, Wegner believed that striking aesthetics in furniture were based on a foundation of practicality: a chair must be comfortable and sturdy before it is chic.
In keeping with that tenet, several of Wegner’s best chair designs, seen in dealer listings below, have their roots in traditional seating forms. The Peacock chair (designed in 1947) is a throne-like adaptation of the Windsor chair; pieces from the China chair series (begun in 1944) as well as the 1949 Wishbone chair, with its distinctive Y-shaped back splat, are derived from 17th-century Ming seating pieces, as is the upholstered Ox chair (1960). Wegner’s comfy Papa Bear chair (1951) is an almost surreally re-scaled English wingback chair.
Wegner’s most representative piece, the Round chair (1949), gained a footnote in political history when it was used on the TV stage of the first Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960. That chair, along with Wegner’s more bravura designs, for example the 1963 Shell chair, with its curved surfboard-shaped seat, bring a quietly sculptural presence to a room. Wegner was a designer who revered his primary material — wood — and it shows. His wood gathers patina and character with age; every Hans Wegner piece testifies to the life it has led.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Cohoes, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Desk Office Dining Arm Chair by Kay Korbing for JG Furniture New YorkBy Kay KorbingLocated in New York, NYRare Kay Korbing for JG furniture arm, or desk chair having black leather chicklet style arms, fabric seat and back on aluminum star base, with original ball coaster feet. The chairs...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Exuberant Green Print Fabric Swivel Lounge Chair by Selling of Monroe Ca 1970'sBy Selig, Milo BaughmanLocated in New York, NYExceptional 1970's swivel, lounge chair by Selig of Monroe. The chair is in it's original bright and colorful upholstery, which is in very good clean c...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Pr. Wegner Hansen Peacock ChairsBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in New York, NYIconic pair of Danish Modern masterpieces, Peacock Chairs, designed by Has Wegner made by Johannes Hansen, Copenhagen Denmark, circa 1960's. Constructed of Ash, and Teak, with origin...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsAsh, Teak
- Set of Four Tufted Leather Armchairs by B.L. MarbleBy B.L. Marble Chair Co.Located in New York, NYChic suite if four tufted leather tub chairs. y noted furniture maker B. L. Marble. The chairs have a leather bucket type seat, which is supported by a solid wood base, and legs, on ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Set of Four Mid Century The Chair Model Chairs After WegnerBy Johannes Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in New York, NYSet of four mid century dining chairs made in the style of Hans Werner's iconic design known as The Chair. These chairs are well crafted and well proportioned, they are from the peri...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Original Hans Wegner Cigar Chair Made in Denmark for GETAMA c 1950'sBy Hans J. Wegner, GETAMALocated in New York, NYThe definition of iconic, this classic Mid Century Danish Modern lounge chair, is known as The Cigar Chair, it was designed by Hans Wegner for GETAMA. This example was produced in D...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
- Hans Wegner Round Chair of Oak and Patinated Cognac LeatherBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in London, GBThis chair is a excellent vintage example of Wegner's round chair made of oak. The label places it as made before 1970. The leather on the seat shows some peeling, wear and tear ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Hans J. Wegner Round ChairBy Hans J. Wegner, Johannes HansenLocated in Brooklyn, NYAn original model JH-503 round armchair in teak and leather, designed by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hanse. Sculptural teak frame has been gently polished and retains lovely patina. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak
- Hans J. Wegner Chinese Chair of Rosewood for Fritz HansenBy Hans J. Wegner, Fritz HansenLocated in Copenhagen, DKHans J. Wegner Chinese chair of rosewood. Loose seat cushion upholstered with leather, fitted with buttons. Executed by Fritz Hansen. Reverse with paper label Fritz Hansen, DENMAR...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsRosewood, Leather
- Hans J. Wegner Chinese Chair of Walnut for Fritz HansenBy Hans J. Wegner, Fritz HansenLocated in Copenhagen, DKHans J. Wegner Chinese chair of walnut. Loose seat cushion upholstered with black leather, fitted with buttons. Executed by Fritz Hansen. Reverse with paper label FRITZ HANSEN, DE...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
- 6 Hans Wegner JH-509 ArmchairsBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Los Angeles, CA18 Hans Wegner JH-509 armchairs designed in 1962 and produced by Johannes Hansen. We have a few more if you need them. NOTE: WE ONLY HAVE 6 LEFTCategory
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Vintage Hans Wegner ArmchairBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in Brooklyn, NYHans Wegner armchair, located in NY.Category
Late 20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak