Finn Juhl Set Japan Series Chair and Footstool

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, credenzas 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. 

Juhl’s earliest works, designed in the late 1930s, are perhaps his most idiosyncratic. The influence of modern art is clear in his 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 workshop of Danish cabinetmaker Niels Vodder began to issue his designs. Yet Juhl’s 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 Judas table — a piece ornamented with stylish inlaid silver plaquettes — and the biomorphic Baker sofa. After an article authored by Kaufmann on Juhl and his work appeared in the U.S.-based magazine Interiors in 1948, he began receiving American commissions. 

Kaufmann commissioned Juhl to create the exhibition design for, and contribute pieces to, the 1951 edition of the Good Design shows he organized for MoMA and Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. Baker Furniture asked Juhl to design for the firm, and he produced a collection of chairs, tables and cabinets, and, later, the 1957 sofa. 

Scandinavian modernist seating, such as the chairs and sofas Juhl created for Baker, became immensely popular in postwar America, as the seeds of the Scandinavian style that Juhl sowed took root and spread in the United States. Juhl and his work featured prominently in the landmark show “Design from Scandinavia,” which opened in 1954 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and traveled to 24 museums in the U.S. and Canada; over three years, it was seen by more than a million people.

Juhl’s furniture — as well as his ceramics, tableware and accessories — has an air of relaxed sophistication and elegance that is unique in the realm of mid-century design.

Find vintage Finn Juhl armchairs, coffee tables, desks and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

With deep roots in Scandinavian modernism — as well as foundational partnerships with designers such as Nanna Ditzel and Ross Littell — the textiles aficionados at Kvadrat consistently push the envelope in their concepts for rugs and carpets, window coverings and upholstered furniture. 

Kvadrat is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of textiles and textile products, and the company is also well known for the lounge chairs, sofas and canapes upholstered in its revered fabrics. These furnishings include seating created by Danish mid-century master Finn Juhl, which is today upholstered in a range of Kvadrat materials and manufactured by House of Finn Juhl.

Kvadrat was established on Denmark’s east coast in 1968 to provide textile solutions for residential and commercial interiors. The company is focused on eco-conscious processes and prioritizes sustainability — its brand Really creates products from textile waste — and its bold designs and technological advancements helped Kvadrat become a leader in Europe's high-end textile market.

A series of successful partnerships have also kept Kvadrat thriving over the long term. In 2001, it partnered with New York-based textile company Maharam to operate joint ventures in Australia. The partnership was a success for both companies and led to collaborations with leading designers and artists like Peter Saville, Patricia Urquiola and Thomas Demand.

In 2014, Kvadrat also partnered with fashion designer Raf Simons, who used the manufacturer's textiles in his menswear lines. The designs debuted on runways in Paris when Simons presented his Autumn/Winter 2015 and Autumn/Winter 2016 collections.

In 2018, Kvadrat announced another new partnership, this time with American-based furniture company Haworth. It was a natural fit for the two family-owned and design-oriented companies, and Haworth now offers its high-performance furniture to clients worldwide that is upholstered in Kvadrat fabrics.

Kvardrat’s textiles have been integrated into projects all over the world such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Yves Saint Laurent in Paris and elsewhere. In 2022, the company held a pop-up space in Chicago’s Fulton Market during NeoCon.

On 1stDibs, find a collection seating and other furniture upholstered in Kvardrat fabrics.