Hans J. Wegner Lounge Chairs from the 1960s in Oak and Dark Green Leather

Danish designer Hans J. Wegner (1914–2007) got his start as a 14-year-old apprentice to Danish master cabinetmaker H.F. Stahlberg, and that lifelong dedication to the art of woodworking can be seen in his 1952 CH29P chair. Nicknamed the Sawbuck chair, its legs recall the sawbuck, or sawhorse, workbenches used by carpenters but reimagined for a modern design that combines clean lines and comfort. Known as the “Master of the Chair,” Wegner would create over 500 variations on seating across his career, his practice leading the way in the style and attention to quality that would define Danish modern design in the 1950s and ’60s. Each chair he introduced — the Flag Halyard chair, the Round chair and many more — balanced aesthetics and function, often comprising just a few simple components as part of his “continuous process of purification” in his designs. The Sawbuck chair followed a 1951 lounge chair that also had tapered legs and a large H-shape frame that swayed back against a short H-shape frame. The 1952 model refined this idea. Wegner added cutout details on two sides of its back and placed an emphasis on ergonomics by widening its upholstered seat at the front. Paired with the concave backrest, the Sawbuck chair accommodates a variety of sitting postures while still being a sculptural object. Carl Hansen & Søn, the Danish furniture company with which Wegner collaborated on many of his designs, took the Sawbuck chair out of production in the 1970s. Two decades later, at the encouragement of Wegner’s family, it was relaunched in a variety of wood types and upholstery options to fit into contemporary interiors as an update to the elegant original design.