1960s Kai Kristiansen Set of 12 Model 42 Dining Chairs in Teak

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1960s Kai Kristiansen Set of 12 Model 42 Dining Chairs in Teak

About the Item

Set of 12 model 42 teak dining chairs with adjustable backrest by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik. The chairs have Kai Kristiansens typical light and elegant design that make them fit in easily where you want them in your home - a design that was so uniqe that his colleague the famous designer Hans J. Wegner characterized model 42 as beautiful from all angles when the chair was revealed in 1956. Frames of the chairs have been overlooked by our cabinetmaker and are in good condition and the chairs will be reupholstered in fabric of your choice from "Kvadrat" to ensure that you get the set of chairs you wish for when they arrive to your doorstep. Kai Kristiansen was one of the last pupils of the famous architect Kaare Klint who founded modern Danish design and laid the foundation for the "Danish Modern" style. During the years 1958-78 Kristiansen worked in his business in Aarhus owned jointly by himself and furniture maker Illum Wikkelsø (1919-99). Kristiansens works met their most intense demand during a few decades from 1950, then production of them was discontinued. However, several of them are now being produced again by the Japanese furniture producer Miyazaki Chair Mill in Tokushima. An Australien producer has also included Kristiansen production in their portfolio. Kai Kristiansen might have been the originator of mass produced furniture, had he accepted an offer from Ikea-founder Ingvar Kamprad. He declined to let himself enroll in the Ikea staff. Kristiansen exhibitions include numerous participations in furniture and design shows in Milano, Paris, Cologne and London. Among his most cherished works is the Paper Knife collection, including two sofas, a coffee table and an armchair. His 4110 og Handy chairs are also widely sold. In fact, the Kai Kristiansen name is probably better known by a selected global furniture design public than it is known generally in his home country.

Creator:
Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik (Cabinetmaker),Kai Kristiansen (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 29.14 in (74 cm)Width: 21.26 in (54 cm)Depth: 18.12 in (46 cm)Seat Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 12
Style:
Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Fabric,Teak,Woodwork
Place of Origin:
Denmark
Period:
1960-1969
Date of Manufacture:
1960s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Chairs are in good condition with only light wear.
Seller Location:
Knebel, DK
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU271339260723

Shop All Kai Kristiansen

Kai Kristiansen

With a passion for math and engineering, Kai Kristiansen has created high-quality wood furniture for decades. Beginning in the 1950s, his chairs, modular shelving and other furnishings were made in the style that would become internationally renowned as Danish modern and boasted clean lines, perfected functionality and exacting craftsmanship.

Born in Denmark, Kristiansen trained in cabinetmaking before studying with Kaare Klint, often cited as the “father of modern Danish design,” at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. At just 26 years old, Kristiansen opened his own studio.

Kristiansen had his mid-century breakthrough in 1956 with the Chair #42, which he made with Schou Andersen. Unlike most other chairs at the time, Chair #42’s armrests, with their wealth of radical angles, were connected to the back rather than the front legs. This unconventional flourish makes the backrest appear as though it is floating in midair above the seat.

Kristiansen’s next innovation was a modular wall system in 1957 — three years ahead of Dieter Rams’s more famous 606 Universal Shelving System. Called the Reolsystem Wall Unit, produced by SB Feldballes Møbelfabrik, it’s also known as the FM Wall Unit as FM/Fornem Møbelkunst began producing it in the 1960s.

Kristiansen would go on to work with other leading Danish furniture manufacturers such as Magnus Olesen, Fritz Hansen and Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik, designing everything from chairs and desks to sideboards and cabinets, frequently in rosewood and teak. (The latter was a sought-after wood by Scandinavian modern designers.)

While many of Kristiansen’s timeless designs remain in production, such as his Paper Knife sofa, which was reintroduced by Miyazaki Chair Factory in 2008, and his 1950s Entré collection, which was relaunched with Great Dane Furniture in 2016, others are prized as vintage mid-century pieces.

Today, Kristiansen is still at work on new furniture with an expert eye to thoughtfully functional designs that are made to last.

Find a collection of vintage Kai Kristiansen furniture on 1stDibs.