A Finn Juhl Japan chair, Model 137 for France and Son Denmark, 1950s
View Similar Items
A Finn Juhl Japan chair, Model 137 for France and Son Denmark, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:France & Søn (Manufacturer),Finn Juhl (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.93 in (76 cm)Width: 23.63 in (60 cm)Depth: 28.75 in (73 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960s
- Condition:Light signs of historic wear, frame restored. Newly reupholstered in Kvadrat Hallingdal Fabric. The piece is vintage so please do expect some signs of wear.
- Seller Location:London Road, Baldock, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: 18171stDibs: LU2364315358542
Finn Juhl
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 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. His earliest works, designed in the late 1930s, are perhaps his most idiosyncratic. The influence of contemporary art is clear in Juhl's 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 Danish furniture-making firm Niels Vodder began to issue his designs. Yet his 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 biomorphic Baker sofa, and the Judas table, a piece ornamented with stylish inlaid silver plaquettes.
As you will see from the offerings on 1stDibs, Finn Juhl’s furniture — as well as his lighting, ceramics, tableware and accessories — has an air of relaxed sophistication and elegance that is unique in the realm of mid-20th-century design.
France & Søn
Danish manufacturer France & Søn is best known for its prolific output of elegant mid-century modern furnishings in teak and leather, yet its multinational beginnings took shape during the 1930s.
After businessman Charles William Fearnley France (1897–1972) moved from his native England to Denmark in 1936, he began to operate a small mattress factory alongside his friend Eric Daverkosen, a Danish cabinetmaker, under the name France & Daverkosen. Shortly afterward, Daverkosen passed away, and when Denmark was invaded during the Second World War, Charles was captured and sent to a prison camp in Germany. When he was released, the British entrepreneur set out to produce furniture in the early 1950s, setting up a shop in Hillerød to manufacture the kind of sleek beech and teak goods that were gaining widespread acclaim around the world. In 1957, France’s son James joined the business, and the company changed its name to reflect the addition.
Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, France & Søn produced a stunning array — and staggering quantity — of designs, with elegant modernist lounge chairs and armchairs, teak and rosewood dining tables and other furnishings by the likes of Finn Juhl, Grete Valk, Ole Wanscher, Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen all gracing its catalogues.
Even as there was a focus on mass production at France & Søn — and the brand doesn’t quite enjoy the same renown as fellow mid-century Danish furniture makers such as Carl Hansen & Søn — Charles France believed in making quality furniture, and the company’s offerings evoke the warmth of the handcrafted work that is typically associated with Scandinavian modernism.
In the 1960s, the company was bought by Danish designer Poul Cadovius, who folded it into the operations at CADO, a company he founded during the 1950s. Surviving examples of early work from the brand as well as modern icons by the likes of Verner Panton that followed in later years continue to be in demand.
Find a collection of France & Søn furniture on 1stDibs.
- Étienne Fermigier 'Attr' Actual Chair, Actual Edition, France, 1972By Etienne FermigierLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireAn Actual chair, Actual Edition, 1972, by Étienne Fermigier (attr). An important figure in French design who was unfortunately killed in a car accident...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
$1,593 Sale Price57% Off - An Early Afra and Tobia Scarpa "Ciprea" chair, Cassina, Italy, 1967By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, CassinaLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireAn early example of a "Ciprea" chair by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Italy, 1967 This example features its original deep cream leather upholstery and being one of the first ar...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” Chairs In Yarn Collective bouclé *Customizable*By Artifort, Giancarlo PirettiLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireA pair of Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” chairs newly upholstered in a 'Parchment' colored Yarn Collective bouclé fabric. Parchment is a light, neutral, sepia, off-white colour, we have...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” Chair in New Velvet, Artifort, 1970s, *Customizable*By Artifort, Giancarlo PirettiLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireA single Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” chair newly upholstered in Designers Guild linen-colored cotton velvet & potentially customizable in over 100 colors. *Lead time for despatch of Al...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” Chairs in New Velvet, Artifort, 1970s - *Customizable*By Artifort, Giancarlo PirettiLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireA pair of Giancarlo Piretti “Alky” chairs newly upholstered in Designers Guild linen-colored cotton velvet & potentially customizable in over 100 colors. *Lead time for despatch of ...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- "Robert" Fireside Chair by Pierre Guariche Upholstered in Pierre FreyBy Meurop, Pierre GuaricheLocated in London Road, Baldock, HertfordshireA "Robert" Fireside chair designed by Pierre Guariche and produced in the 1960s by Meurop. Formed of tubular metal and reupholstered in decorative waves of fake fur that is a perf...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
$1,529 Sale Price56% Off
- Finn Juhl Japan Sofa Model 137 in Teak for France & Son, Denmark 1950sBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in Hellouw, NLAmazing Finn Juhl sofa Model 137 in teak for France & Son, Denmark 1950s. This three-seater 'Japan' sofa has the elegance and round shapes that are so recognizable for Finn Juhl and ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Teak
- Danish Modern Teak Spade Lounge Chair by Finn Juhl for France & SønBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in North Hollywood, CADanish modern teak "spade" lounge chair design by Finn Juhl for France & Søn in Denmark, circa 1950s. These chairs are known for their comfort and beauty, but most importantly, their sculptured spade shape armrest. The chair was made of the highest quality teak giving it a mid-century look. The chair needs to be upholstered but offers you the opportunity to create the perfect chair...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTeak
- Finn Juhl for France & Søn Pair of Lounge Chairs in Teak and LeatherBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in Waalwijk, NLFinn Juhl for France & Søn, pair of no. 138 lounge chairs, teak, leather, Denmark, design ca. 1959 These easy chairs are designed by Danish master designer Finn Juhl in 1959. Define...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Teak Japan Chair by Finn Juhl for France & SonBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in VANCOUVER, CATeak Japan chair by Finn Juhl for France & Son, 1957. Simple, elegant frame inspired by Japanese temple doors. Tapered legs, brass hardware and horizontal back rest with recessed cir...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Teak Japan Chair by Finn Juhl for France & SonBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in VANCOUVER, CATeak Japan chair by Finn Juhl for France & Son, 1957. Simple, elegant frame inspired by Japanese temple doors. Tapered legs, brass hardware and horizontal back rest with recessed cir...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Midentury "Japan" Lounge Chairs and Ottoman, Finn Juhl, Denmark, 1950sBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in Stockholm, SEPair of elegant “Japan” lounge chairs, made from teak with clean lines. White wool upholstery. Shared ottoman with cognac colored leather.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak