Pair of 1950s Floating Walnut Lounge Chairs by Jens Risom
About the Item
- Creator:Jens Risom (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 26.1 in (66.3 cm)Depth: 26.75 in (67.95 cm)Seat Height: 16.25 in (41.28 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1953
- Condition:Refinished.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1444217239161
Jens Risom
The Danish-born Jens Risom brought the Scandinavian modern design sensibility to a wide audience in the United States. As the first designer for Knoll Inc., Risom introduced American buyers to the region’s enduring design values of simplicity, grace and craftsmanship.
Risom trained in furniture making at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design under Ole Wanscher, alongside classmates Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen. In 1939, a year after graduating from business school, Risom decided to move to the U.S.
While working for an interior designer in New York in 1941, he met Hans Knoll, and the businessman and the designer hit it off. They brought out their first line the next year, despite wartime materials restrictions. The signature piece — now a design icon — was a lounge chair with a striking, undulant birch frame and a seat made of webbed sub-military grade parachute straps. Risom was drafted into the army, and served as a translator under General George Patton. When he returned from the war, Risom clashed over furniture design ideals with his business partner’s new bride, Florence Knoll, the pioneering mid-century modernist who was schooled in the Bauhaus method, which favored furniture with strict, geometric metal frames. Risom then started his own company, Jens Risom Design.
In the course of his long career, Risom developed a stylistic vocabulary that was a reflection of the life of the man himself: his furniture has Danish warmth coupled with an American air of crisp efficiency. Vintage Risom chairs are almost instantly recognizable — the arms and seat backs are set at a distinctive angle that seems to invite people to sit back and relax, yet they know they can hop up in an instant, ready to go.
As you will see on these pages, Jens Risom is one of the great men of American modern design who made furniture that is unique and timeless.
Find a collection of vintage Jens Risom furniture on 1stDibs that includes lounge chairs, desks, coffee tables and more.
You May Also Like
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Naugahyde, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Hide, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wool, Walnut
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Birch, Textile
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Walnut, Leather
