Jens Risom A-Line Lounge Chair and Ottoman in Bouclé, circa 1950s
View Similar Items
Jens Risom A-Line Lounge Chair and Ottoman in Bouclé, circa 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Jens Risom (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 35 in (88.9 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)Depth: 32 in (81.28 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Reupholstered. Refinished.
- Seller Location:Westport, CT
- Reference Number:Seller: SM1945 / SM19231stDibs: LU928920461722
Risom Lounge Chair
Debuting in 1943, the Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll. It was the work of Jens Risom (1916–2016), who had only just moved from his native Denmark to the United States in 1939.
Risom was by then a graduate of business school and had studied under Danish architect and designer Kaare Klint at Copenhagen's School of Industrial Arts and Design (Hans Wegner, whose many iconic creations include the Wishbone chair, was among his classmates). In New York City, Risom found work as an interior designer before embarking on a freelance career as a furniture maker and textile designer when he met Hans Knoll, who was mere months into his venture and needed inventory. In the first Knoll catalogue, 15 of the 25 pieces listed were Risom designs, and the Risom lounge chair would follow a year later.
Owing to the rationing of materials during World War II, Risom turned to surplus parachute straps for use in the construction of his chair, binding the woven straps to a curving birchwood frame. The design was immediately popular for office interiors and is recognized as pivotal to the introduction of understated Danish modernism to the States.
Today, Knoll continues to manufacture the simple but strong Risom lounge chair, and it is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Jens Risom
The Danish-born Jens Risom brought the Scandinavian modern design sensibility to a wide audience in the United States. As the first designer for Knoll Inc., Risom introduced American buyers to the region’s enduring design values of simplicity, grace and craftsmanship.
Risom trained in furniture making at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design under Ole Wanscher, alongside classmates Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen. In 1939, a year after graduating from business school, Risom decided to move to the U.S.
While working for an interior designer in New York in 1941, he met Hans Knoll, and the businessman and the designer hit it off. They brought out their first line the next year, despite wartime materials restrictions. The signature piece — now a design icon — was a lounge chair with a striking, undulant birch frame and a seat made of webbed sub-military grade parachute straps. Risom was drafted into the army, and served as a translator under General George Patton. When he returned from the war, Risom clashed over furniture design ideals with his business partner’s new bride, Florence Knoll, the pioneering mid-century modernist who was schooled in the Bauhaus method, which favored furniture with strict, geometric metal frames. Risom then started his own company, Jens Risom Design.
In the course of his long career, Risom developed a stylistic vocabulary that was a reflection of the life of the man himself: his furniture has Danish warmth coupled with an American air of crisp efficiency. Vintage Risom chairs are almost instantly recognizable — the arms and seat backs are set at a distinctive angle that seems to invite people to sit back and relax, yet they know they can hop up in an instant, ready to go.
As you will see on these pages, Jens Risom is one of the great men of American modern design who made furniture that is unique and timeless.
Find a collection of vintage Jens Risom furniture on 1stDibs that includes lounge chairs, desks, coffee tables and more.
- Jens Risom Walnut Armchairs in Natural Mohair, C. 1950sBy Jens RisomLocated in Westport, CTAn exquisite pair of mid-century modern armchairs designed by Jens Risom, crafted circa 1960-1969. Meticulously restored, the walnut framework shines with renewed beauty, complemente...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMohair, Walnut
- Classic Slipper Chairs by Jens Risom in Bouclé, C. 1950sBy Jens RisomLocated in Westport, CTAn impeccably restored pair of mid-century modern chairs, a timeless testament to design excellence. Originally conceived by the iconic Jens Risom in the 1950s, these chairs have bee...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Walnut
- Walnut Lounge Chairs in Grey Linen, Model U430 for Risom, Inc. Circa, 1950sBy Jens RisomLocated in Westport, CTExperience the epitome of mid-century modern elegance with our fully restored walnut lounge chairs from the 1950s, a timeless creation by Jens Risom for Risom, Inc. Meticulously refu...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLinen, Walnut
- Modernist Sculptural Lounge Chairs by Erwin Lambeth, C. 1950sBy Erwin LambethLocated in Westport, CTStep into mid-century elegance with the Erwin Lambeth Chairs from the 1950s, expertly restored by Stamford Modern. Designed by Irwin Lambeth himself, these chairs embody the essence ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTwill, Walnut
- Sculptural Low-Profile Lounge Chairs in Bouclé, Denmark, 1950sLocated in Westport, CTSet of Scandinavian-Modern lounge chairs, original from Denmark, circa 1950-1959. Completely restored with all insides including spring system, foam, and dacron fully updated. Reupholstered in "Teddy...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Teak
- Rare Slipper Chairs by Jens Risom for Risom, Inc. C. 1950sBy Jens RisomLocated in Westport, CTExperience the epitome of mid-century modern elegance with our fully restored walnut slipper chairs from the 1950s, a timeless creation by Jens Risom for Risom, Inc. Meticulously ref...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsLinen, Walnut
- Jens Risom Lounge ChairsBy Jens RisomLocated in Atlanta, GAClean lined lounge chairs, designed by Jens Risom, American, circa 1960s. Risom's designs always give a nod to Danish modern design, and these chairs are no exception. They have clea...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
$5,500 / set - Rare Jens Risom Lounge Chairs, Model U-416, Walnut and Bouclé, 1950sBy Jens RisomLocated in Round Rock, TXOffered is a rare pair of low lounge chairs designed by Jens Risom for Risom Designs, Inc. circa 1952. Low, deep, and wide these chairs have an amazing presence and level of comfort...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Walnut
- Jens Risom Walnut Lounge Chairs in Ivory Shearling, circa 1950sBy Jens RisomLocated in Saint Louis, MOIconic Mid-Century Modern Jens Risom lounge chairs expertly reupholstered in soft ivory shearling with professionally refinished walnut frames. An exem...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsHide, Walnut
- Pair of Jens Risom C-220 Lounge Chairs Circa 1950sBy Jens RisomLocated in Peabody, MAPair of model C-220 slipper lounge chairs by Jens Risom, Circa 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Strap Lounge Chair 1950s, Jens Risom StyleBy Jens Risom, KnollLocated in Den Haag, NLLovely high back lounge chair. Very nice design. Black beech wood frame, comes with off white fabric straps light in weight, comes with the normal wear and tear after over 60 years ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Curvaceous Modern Lounge Chair Attributed to Jens RisomBy Jens RisomLocated in Atlanta, GACurvaceous modern lounge chair, attributed to Jens Risom, American, circa 1960s. This chair is currently being reupholstered and can be completed in your fabric. The price noted incl...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
