Kai Kristiansen Model 42 Z Chairs, Set of Eight
View Similar Items
Kai Kristiansen Model 42 Z Chairs, Set of Eight
About the Item
- Creator:Kai Kristiansen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 21 in (53.34 cm)Depth: 22 in (55.88 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 8
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. This set of 8 Kai Kristiansen Model 42 chairs is a 1 owner set. Maintained is superb condition.
- Seller Location:Phoenix, AZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU180134601683
Kai Kristiansen
With a passion for math and engineering, Kai Kristiansen has created high-quality wood furniture for decades. Beginning in the 1950s, his chairs, modular shelving and other furnishings were made in the style that would become internationally renowned as Danish modern and boasted clean lines, perfected functionality and exacting craftsmanship.
Born in Denmark, Kristiansen trained in cabinetmaking before studying with Kaare Klint, often cited as the “father of modern Danish design,” at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. At just 26 years old, Kristiansen opened his own studio.
Kristiansen had his mid-century breakthrough in 1956 with the Chair #42, which he made with Schou Andersen. Unlike most other chairs at the time, Chair #42’s armrests, with their wealth of radical angles, were connected to the back rather than the front legs. This unconventional flourish makes the backrest appear as though it is floating in midair above the seat. Kristiansen’s next innovation was a modular wall system in 1957 — three years ahead of Dieter Rams’s more famous 606 Universal Shelving System. Called the Reolsystem Wall Unit, produced by SB Feldballes Møbelfabrik, it’s also known as the FM Wall Unit as FM/Fornem Møbelkunst began producing it in the 1960s. Kristiansen would go on to work with other leading Danish furniture manufacturers such as Magnus Olesen, Fritz Hansen and Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik, designing everything from chairs and desks to sideboards and cabinets, frequently in rosewood and teak. (The latter was a sought-after wood by Scandinavian modern designers.)
While many of Kristiansen’s timeless designs remain in production, such as his Paper Knife sofa, which was reintroduced by Miyazaki Chair Factory in 2008, and his 1950s Entré collection, which was relaunched with Great Dane Furniture in 2016, others are prized as vintage mid-century pieces. Today, Kristiansen is still at work on new furniture with an expert eye to thoughtfully functional designs that are made to last.
Find a collection of vintage Kai Kristiansen furniture on 1stDibs.
- Set of 6 Kai Kristiansen Model 42 Dining Chairs, RosewoodBy Kai KristiansenLocated in London, GBKai Kristiansen Model 42 dining chairs, 1956. Set of 6 dining chairs produced by Skovman Andersen for the Illum Bolighus department store in Copenhagen. Refinished rosewood fra...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsWool, Rosewood
- Set of Eight Dining Room Chairs, Model 42, Designed by Kai KristiansenBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Lejre, DKThis set of 8 dining chairs is truly an iconic example of the timeless elegance that characterizes Danish furniture design from the Mid-20th Century. The chairs are model 42, designe...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- 4 Chairs Model 42 by Kai KristiansenBy Kai KristiansenLocated in PARIS, FRDelicacy and elegance is what best characterizes Kristiansen's modernist design. In 1956, he designed his most famous product, the No. 42 chair for Schou Andersen. The elegantly curv...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsPalisander
$7,007 / set - Kai Kristiansen Set of 8 Model 42 Rosewood and Velvet Dining ChairsBy Kai KristiansenLocated in London, GBKai Kristiansen - Model 42 Dining Chairs, 1956. Set of 8x dining chairs produced by Skovman Andersen for the Illum Bolighus department store in Copenhagen. The frames are made fro...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Rosewood
- Set of 6 Kai Kristiansen Model 42 Off-White Boucle Dining ChairsBy Kai KristiansenLocated in London, GBKai Kristiansen Model 42 dining chairs, 1956. Set of 6 dining chairs produced by Skovman Andersen for the Illum Bolighus department store in Copenhagen. Refinished rosewood fra...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsWool, Rosewood
- 1960s Kai Kristiansen Model 42 Dining Chairs in Palisander, set of 4By Kai KristiansenLocated in Praha, CZ- Very good condition with minor signs of use - original leatherette upholstery in good condition with minor signs of use - heigh of seat 45 cmCategory
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Palisander
$5,869 Sale Price / set20% Off