CH07 Shell Chair in Walnut Lacquer Finish with Loke 7150 Black Leather

Best known for his chairs and other seating pieces — though a master of many furniture types like sofas and tables — Hans Wegner was a prolific designer whose elegant, often ebullient, forms and devotion to the finest methods in joinery made "Danish Modern" a popular byword for stylish, well-made furniture in the mid-20th century.

Wegner considered himself a carpenter first and a furniture designer second. Like his peers Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl, Wegner believed that striking aesthetics in furniture were based on a foundation of practicality: a chair must be comfortable and sturdy before it is chic.

In keeping with that tenet, several of Hans Wegner’s best chair designs have their roots in traditional seating forms. The Peacock chair (designed in 1947) is a throne-like adaptation of the Windsor chair; pieces from the China chair series (begun in 1944) as well as the 1949 Wishbone chair, with its distinctive Y-shaped back splat, are derived from 17th-century Ming seating pieces, as is the upholstered Ox chair (1960). Wegner’s comfy Papa Bear chair (1951) is an almost surreally re-scaled English wingback chair.

Wegner’s most representative piece, the Round chair (1949), gained a footnote in political history when it was used on the TV stage of the first Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960. That chair, along with Wegner’s more bravura designs — for example, the 1963 Shell chair, with its curved surfboard-shaped seat — bring a quietly sculptural presence to a room.

Wegner was a designer who revered his primary material — wood — and it shows. His wood gathers patina and character with age; every Hans Wegner piece testifies to the life it has led.

Find vintage Hans Wegner lounge chairs, armchairs, daybeds and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

At Carl Hansen & Søn, we believe that iconic design is a combination of simplicity, aesthetics and functionality brought to life through skillful work with the highest quality materials. For over 100 years, we have specialized in providing the outstanding furniture craftsmanship that brings visionary design concepts to life. Through the years, Carl Hansen & Søn has maintained a strong focus on preserving Danish design classics while continuing to expand out collection to represent influential new designers. Our goal: to gather the best, most iconic modern furniture under one roof. Carl Hansen & Søn’s evolution has been deeply influenced by our long-term relationship with one of the greatest designers of all time: Hans J. Wegner. The creative partnership began in 1949, when Wegner developed a successful furniture series exclusively for Carl Hansen & Søn, which included the now-iconic CH24 Wishbone Chair. We also produce important works by the renowned mid-century Danish masters such as Wegner, Børge Mogensen, Ole Wanscher, Frits Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Kaare Klint, and Poul Kjæarholm, and contemporary designers such as Tadao Ando, EOOS and Brad Ascalon.