1930s Chairs

Canvas safari easy chair by Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen with loose cushion.

Armchair model 3758 A in original red indian leather and mahogany base. Model designed in 1927 for the Danish Museum of Decorative Art, produced by Rud Rasmussen in the 1940’s. Signed with manufacturer’s label to underside: (Rud. Rasmussens Snedkerier). Kaare Klint is widely recognized as the father of Danish modern design. It is hard to overstate his influence. He developed an entirely new analytical approach to furniture design that his students at the Danish Academy of Art would emulate for years to come, yet was also inspired by historic designs from various cultures, modernizing and re-interpreting classic pieces for new generations. Literature: Kaare Klint, Harkær, pg. 28-30. Dansk Møbelkunst Gennem 40 Aar: 1927-1936, Jalk, pg. 169. Danish Chairs, Oda, pg. 22-23. Kaare Klint (1888-1954) is regarded as the founding father of Danish Modernim. As an architect, furniture designer and leading professor at the Department of Furniture Design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Klint established the principles of modern Danish furniture by combining a profound appreciation of traditional construction techniques with a modernist emphasis on function and a rejection of ornaments. Klint’s design was always based on relentless research; he never compromised. Every piece had to fulfill its purpose, be completely clear in its construction with dimensions and proportions corresponding to the human body and display materials and craftsmanship of the highest quality. Logic, often using a mathematical system of measures, and a constructive way of thinking were the foundation of Klint’s philosophy of furniture design. Like many of his contemporaries, counting Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius, he advocated standardization and functional requirements and dismissed the use of all ornamentation. But Klint realized his vision in wood and leather, using traditional craftsmen and working methods and often finding inspiration in historical models. In this way, he charted the course for an alternative Nordic Functionalism that idealized the workshop and the collaboration between furniture architects and cabinetmakers as opposed to the factory. Kaare Klint’s first major work was a collaboration with his mentor, the architect Carl Petersen. In 1914 they were commissioned to design furniture and fixtures for Faaborg Art Museum. One of the highlights to emerge from this commission was the Faaborg chair, a light and elegant chair with clear references to classical furniture. The construction and proportions of an 18th century English Chippendale...

Kaare Klint pair of red chairs in mahogany, black horsehair and brass nails. Version of the chair with upholstered arms. Executed by Rud. Rasmussen,...

An original pair of Mogens Koch folding chairs model "MK-16" made at Rud Rasmussen, Copenhagen in the 1970s Mogens Koch designed the MK16 Fo...

Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Safari chair new upholstered with Vintage aniline leather. With ottoman. Frame in solid ash. Model Safari chair, made by Rud Rasmussen.

Mogens Koch furniture designed a lot of award wining midcentury furniture. The Danish architect was known for his functional approach to furniture design and for prioritizing comfort and accessibility. Koch also drew on older traditions and techniques. His chairs and tables show the influence of the Shaker Style and Englisch pieces of the 18th century. Koch was born in Copenhagen and attended the Royal Danisch Academy of fine Arts. After graduating, he worked as an assistant to Kaare Klint, an important figure in Danish modernism who was responsible for establishing the furniture design program at Koch’s alma mater. Klint favored historical styles and inspired Koch to view furniture design as an evolutionary process built on the traditions of the past. Over the course of their partnership, in the late 1920s, Koch began creating modular bookcases. In 1932, Rud Rasmussen began to produce Koch designs. An early Koch seating design that the Danish manufacturer made was the MK Safari...

Iconic original safari chair by professor Kaare Klint. Designed 1927. This version dates to the 1960s and is executed in solid ash. Nice patina to the wood, and left unrestored. The ...

Teak Mogens Koch MK-16 Safari chair in rosewood foldable safari chair by Danish architect and designer Mogens Koch. These are re-editions by Interna of the ...

Lovely pair ‘Safari’ model 4700 easy chairs by Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen, Denmark 1950s. This set features a frame made out of stained oak with leather straps. Frame in oak with ...

The Barcelona chairs were designed between 1927 and 1932 by Kaare Klint, who is considered to be the father of modern Danish furniture design. This chair was made by cabinetmaker R...

Kaare Klint for Rud Rasmussen. Pair of Safari chairs new upholstered with vintage aniline leather. New straps of butt hide leather. Frame in solid ash. Model Safari chair, made...

Mogens Koch & Rud Rasmussen Scandinavian Modern A beautiful beech and canvas folding chairs by Mogens Koch for Rud Rasmussen, Denmark, 1950...