Vintage Dining Chairs, Danish Midcentury Kai Kristiansen Carver Dining Chairs
View Similar Items
Vintage Dining Chairs, Danish Midcentury Kai Kristiansen Carver Dining Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Korup Stolefabrik (Maker),Kai Kristiansen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 20.87 in (53 cm)Depth: 21.66 in (55 cm)Seat Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960-1969
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Highclere, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4278213045052
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.
- 8 Danish Mid Century Arne Hovmand Olsen Teak and Fabric Dining ChairsBy Arne Hovmand-OlsenLocated in Highclere, NewburyA set of eight mid century dark stained teak and fabric rail back dining chairs designed by Arne Hovmand Olsen and produced by Mogens Kold. These Olsen chairs are a classic desig...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
- 4 Danish Mid Century Arne Hovmand-Olsen, Mogens Kold MK310 teak dining chairsBy Mogens Kold Møbelfabrik, Arne Hovmand-OlsenLocated in Highclere, NewburyA beautifully sculptural set of 4 Vintage Danish Mid Century Arne Hovmand-Olsen MK310 teak dining chairs with original black vinyl upholstery for Mogens Kold, 1950s. Originally designed by Olsen in 1951 and manufactured by Mogens Kold, Denmark, these chairs stand out as one of the very first chair designs Olsen created. The chairs feature a sculptural organic back shape that is constructed with a feature insert of plywood and solid teak. Olsen was recognised as being one of the forerunners of using this technique to add strength and durability to his designs as well as creating beautifully sculptured forms that appear as carved from solid wood. This is a design and construction style also adopted by many of his contemporaries including Niels Otto Moller, and many of the designs created by them both are often misattributed as each other’s as they share many similar details and characteristics. These particular chairs were produced with two options of seating style and fabric: one was the famous Danish paper cord seat that was widely used in the 50’s and 60s, and the other, as here, in simple black vinyl. The vinyl used on Mid Century Danish seating is very durable and impressed with a realistic grain that actually makes it very difficult to tell it apart from leather. The other advantage of the vinyl is that as it is intentionally used without a foam insert it accentuates the clean, crisp angular line of the seating base which acts as a counterpoint to the softer more flowing lines of the wooden structure. Plus it’s a lot easier to keep clean and in good condition compared to paper cord! The set is in very good vintage condition with light marks in the wooden frame and on the seats here and there commensurate with age and use – all the joints are solid and sound. Three of the four chairs maintain both the Danish quality control and the MK manufacturer’s metal labels as shown in the pictures, the other is missing in action, maybe eaten by a tiny cockapoo... The chairs are very much in ‘found’ condition and have just had a simple rub down and application of wax to bring them up to a soft sheen. Note that it is a hard seat as there is no foam underlay, but they look good with such sharp lines and are, in any event, very easy chairs to upholster...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak
- 4 Vintage Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Knoll, MR50 BRNO tubular chrome dining chairsBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Highclere, NewburyA set of 4 vintage Mies van der Rohe Knoll, MR50 BRNO tubular chrome and black fabric dining chairs. The price listed is for the 4 chairs as shown. Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe at his Tugendhat House in Brno, Czech Republic, the Brno Chair (model number MR50) reflects the ground breaking simplicity of van der Rohe’s design using a simple cantilever frame. There are two versions of the chair; one in tubular steel and the other in flat steel and the original design dates back to 1930. The metal was originally polished stainless steel but more modern examples from around the 1970s onwards were produced in chromed steel by Knoll International and Knoll Studio who have owned the license to the design since the mid 1960s. There have been numerous copies of the chairs made since their inception but the Knoll original chairs that were produced in the last 30 years have become much easier to recognise. As such, all post 1990 chairs...Category
1990s Italian Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Lounge Chair, Midcentury Scandinavian Cantilever Chrome and WebbingLocated in Highclere, NewburyMidcentury Scandinavian cantilever chrome and webbing lounge chair. I’ve never seen another one like it, this mystery lounge chair hails from ...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Frank Gehry Knoll Int. Dinette Featuring 2 Cross Check Chairs and Dining TableBy Frank GehryLocated in Highclere, NewburyA Frank Gehry compact dining set featuring 2 bentwood maple ply Cross Check chairs matched to a maple and glass Face Off dining table manufactured by Knoll International. Originally designed in the late 80’s Gehry’s Cross Check chairs...Category
1990s American Post-Modern Dining Room Sets
MaterialsGlass, Beech
- 4 Poul Kjaerholm PK9 E. Kold Christensen chairs with seat height extensionsBy Poul Kjærholm, E. Kold ChristensenLocated in Highclere, NewburyA set of 4 Danish Mid Century vintage leather and steel PK9 chairs designed by Poul Kjaerholm for E. Kold Christensen with additional bespoke optional seat height extensions. These ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Kai Kristiansen Midcentury Rosewood Z Dining Chairs, PairBy Kai KristiansenLocated in Countryside, ILKai Kristiansen midcentury Rosewood Z dining chairs - pair. This chair measures: 19.75 wide x 19.25 deep x 29 high, with a seat height of 17.5 and a...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Rosewood
- Pair Of Dining Room Chairs In Style Of Kai KristiansenBy Kai KristiansenLocated in Ibiza, SpainKai Kristiansen style chair made of walnut wood with tilting backrest, upholstered in linen with black and white rectangular patterned des...Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Set of Four Dining Chairs by Kai Kristiansen in Brazilian RosewoodBy Kai KristiansenLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA rare set of four (4) dining chairs, OD70 designed by Kai Kristiansen and made in Denmark by OD MØBLER, circa 1960s. Sculptural frames in Brazilian rosewood with beautiful graining,...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsRosewood
- 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
$5,862 Sale Price / set20% Off - 4 Dining Room Chairs Model 31 Made In Teak, Designed By Kai KristiansenBy Kai KristiansenLocated in Lejre, DKThis set of four dining room chairs, model 31, designed by the renowned Kai Kristiansen around the 1960s, showcases the epitome of mid-century Danish design. Crafted by Schou Anderse...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
- 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