Pair of Finn Juhl Diplomat Armchairs for France & Son in Leather and Teak
View Similar Items
Pair of Finn Juhl Diplomat Armchairs for France & Son in Leather and Teak
About the Item
- Creator:France & Søn (Manufacturer),Finn Juhl (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.75 in (80.65 cm)Width: 27.25 in (69.22 cm)Depth: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1961
- Condition:Fully restored condition.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1444213309782
Finn Juhl
Along with Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen and Børge Mogensen, Finn Juhl was one of the great masters of mid-20th-century Danish design. Juhl was the first among that group to have his work promoted overseas, bringing the character of the nation’s furnishings — and the inherent principles of grace, craftsmanship and utility on which they were based — to an international audience. A stylistic maverick, Juhl embraced expressive, free-flowing shapes in chair and sofa designs much earlier than his colleagues, yet even his quietest pieces incorporate supple, curving forms that are at once elegant and ergonomic.
As a young man, Juhl hoped to become an art historian, but his father steered him into a more practical course of study in architecture. He began designing furniture in the late 1930s, a discipline in which, despite his education, Juhl was self-taught, and quite proud of the fact. His earliest works, designed in the late 1930s, are perhaps his most idiosyncratic. The influence of contemporary art is clear in Juhl's 1939 Pelican chair: an almost Surrealist take on the classic wing chair. Critics reviled the piece, however; one said it looked like a "tired walrus." Juhl had tempered his creativity by 1945, when the Danish furniture-making firm Niels Vodder began to issue his designs. Yet his now-classic NV 45 armchair still demonstrates panache, with a seat that floats above the chair’s teak frame.
Juhl first exhibited his work in the United States in 1950, championed by Edgar Kaufmann Jr., an influential design critic and scion of America’s most prominent family of modern architecture and design patrons. (Kaufmann’s father commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright’s design of the house “Fallingwater.”) Juhl quickly won a following for such signature designs as the supremely comfortable Chieftan lounge chair, the biomorphic Baker sofa, and the Judas table, a piece ornamented with stylish inlaid silver plaquettes.
As you will see from the offerings on 1stDibs, Finn Juhl’s furniture — as well as his lighting, ceramics, tableware and accessories — has an air of relaxed sophistication and elegance that is unique in the realm of mid-20th-century design.
France & Søn
Danish manufacturer France & Søn is best known for its prolific output of elegant mid-century modern furnishings in teak and leather, yet its multinational beginnings took shape during the 1930s.
After businessman Charles William Fearnley France (1897–1972) moved from his native England to Denmark in 1936, he began to operate a small mattress factory alongside his friend Eric Daverkosen, a Danish cabinetmaker, under the name France & Daverkosen. Shortly afterward, Daverkosen passed away, and when Denmark was invaded during the Second World War, Charles was captured and sent to a prison camp in Germany. When he was released, the British entrepreneur set out to produce furniture in the early 1950s, setting up a shop in Hillerød to manufacture the kind of sleek beech and teak goods that were gaining widespread acclaim around the world. In 1957, France’s son James joined the business, and the company changed its name to reflect the addition.
Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, France & Søn produced a stunning array — and staggering quantity — of designs, with elegant modernist lounge chairs and armchairs, teak and rosewood dining tables and other furnishings by the likes of Finn Juhl, Grete Valk, Ole Wanscher, Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen all gracing its catalogues.
Even as there was a focus on mass production at France & Søn — and the brand doesn’t quite enjoy the same renown as fellow mid-century Danish furniture makers such as Carl Hansen & Søn — Charles France believed in making quality furniture, and the company’s offerings evoke the warmth of the handcrafted work that is typically associated with Scandinavian modernism.
In the 1960s, the company was bought by Danish designer Poul Cadovius, who folded it into the operations at CADO, a company he founded during the 1950s. Surviving examples of early work from the brand as well as modern icons by the likes of Verner Panton that followed in later years continue to be in demand.
Find a collection of France & Søn furniture on 1stDibs.
- Finn Juhl Teak Lounge Chairs Model FD-136 for France and DaverkosenBy Finn JuhlLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of 1950s Danish modern lounge chairs (model FD 136) designed by Finn Juhl. Early examples produced by France & Daverkosen, the p...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Ole Wanscher for France and Son "Senator" Chairs in TeakBy Ole Wanscher, France & SønLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of Danish modern easy chairs (model 116) designed by Ole Wanscher for France & Son. Composed of a dense slat-back frame, designed with a partially exposed back to better reveal ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTeak, Leather
- Set of Four Teak and Leather Armchairs by Kurt Olsen for Slagelse MøbelværkBy Slagelse Mobelvaerk, Kurt OlsenLocated in Brooklyn, NYSet of four model 223 armchairs by Kurt Olsen for Slagelse Møbelværk (1950s, Denmark). Ideal for desk, dining, or occasional use. Black leather is original and shows good age / patin...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Pair of Model R-83 Armchairs by Ladislav Rado for Knoll & DrakeBy Knoll & Drake, Ladislav RadoLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of model R-83 lounge / armchairs designed by Czechoslovakian Architect, Ladislav Rado, and produced for only one year in 1955 by Knoll and Drake (...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Swedish Modern Leather and Teak Lounge Chairs by Folke Ohlsson for DUXBy Dux of Sweden, Folke OhlssonLocated in Brooklyn, NYFolke Ohlsson for Dux of Sweden sculptural staved-teak lounge chairs (Model 72-C) featuring a rounded / slatted back and loose cushions. Frames have been ref...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Danish Modern Teak Bentwood Sculptural ArmchairBy Peter HvidtLocated in Brooklyn, NYUnique Danish organic-form lounge chair composed of layers of laminated and bent wood finished with teak surfaces. Superior, modernist form with elegant, clean lines and curvilinear ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsTeak, Bentwood
- Finn Juhl for France and Son, Diplomat Armchair in Rosewood, 1950sBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in Renens, CH209 Diplomat Armchair by Finn Juhl in very exclusive Rio Palisander, these days a protected wood species. The wood has been refinished, and the seats re-upholstered in a green woolen...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWool
- Pair of Finn Juhl for France & Son Denmark Diplomat Model 209 Teak Armchairs 60sBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in Keego Harbor, MIA sophisticated pair of modern armchairs designed by Finn Juhl for France & Son, Denmark. Known as the Diplomat Chair, Model 209. Produced in the 1960s. A sleek teak frame with neutr...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsTeak
- Danish teak armchair 209 Diplomat by Finn Juhl for France & Søn 1960sBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in VILLEURBANNE, FRScandinavian armchair signed by Finn Juhl for France & Søn dating from the 1960's. Danish manufacturing of very good quality, model 209 or "diplomat" in teak and off-white imitation ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Teak
- Finn Juhl for France & Søn Pair of Lounge Chairs in Teak and LeatherBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in Waalwijk, NLFinn Juhl for France & Søn, pair of no. 138 lounge chairs, teak, leather, Denmark, design ca. 1959 These easy chairs are designed by Danish master designer Finn Juhl in 1959. Define...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Finn Juhl for France & Son 'Diplomat' ChairBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in Los Angeles, CADenmark, Finn Juhl for France & Son 'Diplomat' chair in rosewood.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood
- Danish Armchair by Finn Juhl for France & SonBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in Brescia, ITArmchair model FD 133 original vintage. This uniquely designed and elegant armchair was designed by Finn Juhl in the 1960s. The frame is solid teak wood and the upholstered cushions have the original vintage fabric...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsTeak