Jacob Kjaer United Nations FN Armchair

After training under his cabinetmaker father and then further afield at Berlin’s Institute of Arts and Crafts Museum and in Paris, Danish furniture designer Jacob Kjær crafted classical English-inspired dining chairs, sofas and other pieces that, many decades later, are understated and elegant in any space. 

Kjær returned to Copenhagen in 1926 and opened his own workshop after studying in Germany and working as a joiner in France. His collectible works have all the characteristics that are attributed to Scandinavian modernist furniture — his chairs boast gracefully sloping seat backs and arms that mirror works by designers such as Finn Juhl or Hans Wegner, while his tables and other pieces, typically crafted in teak, rosewood or mahogany, are demonstrative of the deep commitment to craftsmanship associated with likeminded artisans who hail from Nordic regions of the world. 

A well-known armchair made by Kjær for use at the UN Building in New York City is the spare and sculptural FN chair. While this iconic seat was first constructed in wood and upholstered in durable leather at the designer’s studio, it was later manufactured by Christensen & Larsen and is now available from Kitani, a Japanese company that offers licensed reproductions of chairs by a range of Danish modernist designers such as Ib Kofod-Larsen, Nanna Ditzel and others.

Kjær participated in the Barcelona World Exhibition in 1929 and held leadership roles in the Arts and Crafts Committee for Export and the Danish Arts and Crafts National Association. He also chaired the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild for a period during the 1950s. An example of one of Kjær’s armchairs is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Jacob Kjær seating, side tables, coffee tables and more.