Hans J Wegner Cigar Chair with Footstool, Original, 1950s GETAMA
View Similar Items
Hans J Wegner Cigar Chair with Footstool, Original, 1950s GETAMA
About the Item
- Creator:GETAMA (Manufacturer),Hans J. Wegner (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 27.17 in (69 cm)Depth: 29.53 in (75 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1955
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU123224710003
Hans J. Wegner
Best known for his chairs and 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 Wegner’s best chair designs, seen in dealer listings below, 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.
GETAMA
The story of how GETAMA got its name is perhaps as unique as the range of subdued but sophisticated Scandinavian modern furniture for which the manufacturer is known (thanks to a partnership with Hans Wegner).
In the late 1890s in the Danish town of Gedsted, a young cabinetmaker by the name of Carl Pedersen opted to use seaweed — rather than the traditional heather or straw — as mattress stuffing. Pedersen named his new factory Gedsted Tang-og Madrasfabrik (the “Gedsted Seaweed and Mattress Factory”), which he abbreviated to GETAMA. Seaweed’s fire-retardant properties make it an excellent and safe upholstery material for mattresses, chairs and sofas. Pedersen leveraged this quality as a selling point — the abundance of seaweed on the shores of Denmark and its weightlessness added to its appeal as an economical but durable upholstery filling for all kinds of furnishings. The crowning quality was its softness.
GETAMA’s seaweed mattresses proved so popular for their comfort and durability that Pedersen had to expand into a larger factory within the first year. He felt almost obligated to launch a line of bedroom furniture to accompany his much-loved mattresses.
The working relationship established in 1959 between Hans Wegner and GETAMA afforded the company the opportunity to break into the international market. Wegner — a legendary Danish carpenter and furniture designer revered by mid-century modern collectors everywhere — became one of the brand’s principal designers and often spent a great deal of time at the factory — refining and adjusting each new piece until he felt satisfied that it was ready for production. For decades, Wegner’s impressive contributions to GETAMA’s daybeds, lounge chairs, sofas and dining room tables became the backbone of the company’s sales.
Over the years, other designers entered into working agreements with GETAMA, including Nissen & Gehl, OM Design, 2R Design, Blum and Balle, and Jørgen Gammelgaard. Copenhagen native Nanna Ditzel, a Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alum who trained under Kaare Klint, designed GETAMA’s Mondial coffee table. Alongside her husband, Jørgen Ditzel, she also created the sensuously curvy and wildly popular Ring chair.
Today, the sleek modern furniture that GETAMA manufactures is still inclusive of their lauded mattresses.
On 1stDibs, find vintage GETAMA seating, tables, storage cabinets and other furniture.
- Pierre Paulin Oyster ChairBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in London, GBClassic original oyster chair designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, the Netherlands circa 1960s. Completely reupholstered from the steel frame up - with...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Organic Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
On Hold$3,839 - Modernist Lounge Chair, Tove & Edvard Kindt LarsenBy France & Daverkosen, Tove & Edvard Kindt-LarsenLocated in London, GBA superbly designed lounge chair by Tove & Edvard Kindt Larsen. Model 117 constructed from European beech with inset teak armrests. Price includes reupholstery in fabric colour of ch...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTeak, Beech
- Modernist Oak Lounge Chair, Tove & Edvard Kindt LarsenBy France & Daverkosen, Tove & Edvard Kindt-LarsenLocated in London, GBA superbly designed lounge chair by Tove & Edvard Kindt Larsen. Model 117 constructed from European oak with inset teak armrests. Price includes reupholstery in fabric colour of choi...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsOak, Teak
- Leather Erik Kirkegaard Chair, 1950By Høng Stolefabrik, Erik KirkegaardLocated in London, GBThe Erik Kirkegaard chair is probably the most comfortable chair of its kind that we’ve encountered over the years. The curves and angles hold and support the body extremely well. Ex...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Leather, Walnut
$1,407 / item - Handcrafted Leather & Oak Sofa Table FootstoolLocated in London, GBCompletely handcrafted large footstool/sofa table with a unique two tiered design. The framework is constructed from straight grained English oak for extra stability and covered in f...Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Swedish Sofa, 1950's, Carl Malmsten, Samspel, ReupholsteredBy Carl MalmstenLocated in London, GBAn original 1950s Samspel sofa by renowned Swedish designer Carl Malmsten for AB Record, Bollnas, Sweden. This sofa has been completely refurbished, reupholstered with new foam and c...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wool, Beech, Birch
- Original Hans Wegner Cigar Chair Made in Denmark for GETAMA c 1950'sBy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in New York, NYThe definition of iconic, this classic Mid Century Danish Modern lounge chair, is known as The Cigar Chair, it was designed by Hans Wegner for GETAMA. This example was produced in D...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
- Hans Wegner Oak 1950s Cigar ChairBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in London, GBHans Wegner Cigar Chair Model GE-240 Produced by Getama in Denmark, c1950s. The Cigar chair remains one of Wegner's most effective, contemporary and popular designs. This exam...Category
Vintage 1950s European Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsOak, Bouclé
- Hans J. Wegner 1950s Oak Cigar' ChairsBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in London, GBHans J. Wegner Pair of GE-240 Cigar chairs, 1955 Produced by GETAMA in Gedsted, Denmark in the 1950s. These examples of Wegner's iconic lounge chair are made from European oak ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Oak
$10,879 / set - Cigar Chair Model GE240 by Hans J Wegner for GetamaBy Hans J. Wegner, GETAMALocated in Little Burstead, EssexA very nice example of this classic chair, freshly uphosltered in Mocha coloured Boucle fabric. The frame in Oak and all in great condition.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Pair of Original Oak and Bouclé Cigar Chairs by Hans J Wegner for GETAMABy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Little Burstead, EssexFine original 1950s pair of these super comfortable classic chairs by master designer Hans J Wegner for GETAMA. The frames in oak and fresh bouclé fabric covers ready for your midce...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Pair of Original Teak and Oak Cigar Lounge Chairs by Hans J. Wegner for GETAMABy GETAMA, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Lejre, DKHans J. Wegner Pair of GE-240 Cigar chairs, 1955 Produced by Getama in Gedsted, Denmark in the 1950s. These examples of Wegner's iconic lounge chair are made from European oak with...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsOak, Teak
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Design Icon Ilse Crawford on Her Colorful New Hans Wegner Chairs
If anyone is brave, humble and adept enough to recolor these mid-century masterpieces, it’s Ilse Crawford. Here, she gives us the details on her five earthy paint choices and tells us how she feels about design collaborations.