Pair of Finn Juhl Easy Chairs "No.137" for France & Søn, 1958
View Similar Items
Pair of Finn Juhl Easy Chairs "No.137" for France & Søn, 1958
About the Item
- Creator:Finn Juhl (Designer),France & Søn (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Depth: 28.75 in (73.03 cm)Seat Height: 13.5 in (34.29 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. wood original; newer leather upholstery.
- Seller Location:Hudson, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU847311621723
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.
- Finn Juhl "FD141" Teak Easy Chair, for France & SonsBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in VANCOUVER, CATeak Danish "FD141" easy chair by Finn Juhl for France & Sons, circa 1950's. Sculpted teak frame with beautiful, smooth joinery. Iconic lounger features an elegant floating seat, the...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Teak
- Pair of Teak Japan Chairs by Finn Juhl for France & SonBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in Little Burstead, EssexThese are beautiful, original Finn Juhl chairs from the early 1960's. Originally designed in the 1950's, this pair retaln the France & Son metal badge and just to be sure they are also stamped on the frames which are made from solid Teak and are both in undamaged original condition. They have been totally reupholstered in a, just, off white Boucle woolen material, and the fabric and foam ar both up to current fire safety...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Early Model Finn Juhl for France & Søn Pair of Lounge Chairs in TeakBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in Waalwijk, NLFinn Juhl for France & Søn, pair of lounge chairs early model '136', teak, fabric upholstery, Denmark, 1959. Very honest and open design by the Danish architect and designer Finn J...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
- Finn Juhl for France & Søn Pair of Lounge Chairs in Teak and LeatherBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated 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
- Scandinavian Easy Chairs by Finn Juhl, Mod. 112 France & Søn Denmark 60sBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in Rosendahl, DERare easy chairs by Finn Juhl. Teak frame, newly upholstered and covered with fabric from "Kvadrat". The chairs can be bought separately.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Teak
- Finn Juhl for France & Son Teak Bwana Lounge ChairBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in New York, NYFinn Juhl Teak Bwana Lounge Chair for France and Son. Black leather chair with a teak frame. Labeled France & Son and John Stuart (Retailer).Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak