Three-Seat Teak Sofa by Grete Jalk
View Similar Items
Three-Seat Teak Sofa by Grete Jalk
About the Item
- Creator:Grete Jalk (Designer),Cado (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 75 in (190.5 cm)Depth: 31 in (78.74 cm)Seat Height: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1969
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Mateo, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU953614748731
Grete Jalk
What would the reputation of mid-century Danish furniture be without legendary female designer Grete Jalk? A pioneer of Scandinavian modernism, Jalk sought to craft furniture that was both cost-efficient and high in quality, each piece made for the evolving interiors and design sensibilities of the day. She continues to be celebrated for her sleek and minimal armchairs, lounge chairs, coffee tables and more.
Jalk was born in 1920 in Copenhagen. She studied at the Drawing and Applied Art School for Women before enrolling at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where famed designer Kaare Klint was among her instructors. Jalk completed her studies in 1946 and began a cabinetmaker apprenticeship. That same year, she won an award at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild competition. Jalk also participated in the 1951 Milan Triennial exhibition, where her designs earned more acclaim and attention.
In 1954, Jalk opened her own design studio and began working with major Danish furniture manufacturers like Fritz Hansen and Glostrup Møbelfabrik. She found inspiration in plywood experiments carried out by Alvar Aalto and Ray and Charles Eames, and she quickly became known for her pared-back, expressive designs, which touted fluid forms and were made of alluring woods such as teak and rosewood.
Jalk’s best-known work is the 1963 GJ chair, a collaboration with cabinetmaker Poul Jeppesen that won first place in the Daily Mail International Furniture Competition. Made of two pieces of molded teak plywood, the sculptural GJ lounge chair is part of the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art.
While creating her iconic furniture designs, Jalk wore many other hats. She taught at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and served as an editor of the Danish design magazine Mobilia from 1956–62 and 1968–74. In 1974, Jalk curated a traveling design exhibition for the Danish Foreign Ministry and was named a member of the Danish Design Council in 1981. She was also the editor of 40 Years of Danish Furniture Design: The Copenhagen Cabinet-makers' Guild Exhibitions 1927–1966, published in 1987.
Jalk passed away in 2006 at the age of 86. In 2008, Danish furniture manufacturer Lange Production was granted exclusive rights to reproduce the GJ chair, a design as fresh and original today as ever.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Grete Jalk seating, tables and storage pieces.
Cado
While Danish furniture company Cado is popular among collectors of Scandinavian modern furniture for its well-crafted chairs, sofas, coffee tables and dining tables, the brand is best known for its sculptural wall shelving systems created by renowned Danish designer Poul Cadovius (1911–2011), Cado's founder.
The Copenhagen-born Cadovius initially studied to be an upholsterer and saddler before pursuing furniture design. He began his career in the 1940s making Venetian blinds and other window treatments before shifting his focus toward designing versatile furnishings that could be adapted to all sorts of interior spaces.
In 1945, Cadovius founded the furniture manufacturer Royal System intending to produce his designs for postwar homeowners. His visionary works included the 1948 Royal System shelving unit, a space-saving solution that underscored Cadovius’s penchant for problem-solving in a multifunctional way. Rather than balance shelves on wooden or metal legs, it held them to the wall with brackets. The wall unit was practical and functional, but it was also decorative, made of rich and exotic woods like walnut, rosewood and teak, a favorite wood of Cadovius’s and a highly sought-after material among mid-century modern designers.
Cadovius established Cado in the late 1950s. The manufacturer followed the Royal System shelving unit with several other modular storage designs including the System Ultra in 1957, System Cado in 1960 and System Abstracta in 1962. Two years later, with more than 400 patents to his name, Cadovius purchased premier Danish furniture manufacturer France & Søn and incorporated it into Cado.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Cado collaborated with influential Danish and European designers of the era such as Steen Østergaard, best known for his stackable Cado 290, a Space Age fiberglass-and-polyamide nylon lounge chair; Finn Juhl, a stylistic maverick who embraced expressive, free-flowing shapes in chair and sofa designs much earlier than his colleagues; and Ole Wanscher, who drew on Shaker furniture and Chippendale forms and created the widely loved Colonial chair and coffee table for P. Jeppesens Møbelfabrik.
Cadovius’s designs — as well as the other works manufactured by Cado — are widely coveted by vintage furniture enthusiasts all over the world. In 2018, the Danish brand dk3 reissued the Royal System as well as a more compact version.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Cado case pieces and storage cabinets, seating and tables.
- Group of Three Studio Pottery Bowls by William CreitzBy William CreitzLocated in San Mateo, CAThree bowls by studio potter William "Bill" Creitz (1938-2015). Creitz was born in Oregon and studied pottery at Portland State University with Ray Grimm. His work was inspired by Ja...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsCeramic
- Three Dansk Polished Brass Candle Holders by Jens QuistgaardBy Jens QuistgaardLocated in San Mateo, CASet of three brass candle holders designed by Jens Quistgaard for Dansk. These have a very elegant modern design. The top portion of the candle holder can be removed and then with th...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Candlesticks
MaterialsBrass
- Oak and Teak Lounge Chair by Peter Hvidt and Orla MolgaardBy Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter HvidtLocated in San Mateo, CALounge chair designed by Peter Hvidt and Orla Molgaard-Nielsen. This chair was made by France and Daverkosen of Denmark and retailed by John Stuart in the United States. This is the ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak, Teak
- Danish Turned Solid Teak Table LampLocated in San Mateo, CATurned solid teak table lamp in a bottle form. This lamp has a rich beautiful grain. Height to the bottom of the socket is 16 inches.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsTeak
- Mid-Century Teak and Iron Patio or Garden TableLocated in San Mateo, CASmall teak and iron dining table. This table has legs that are easily removed by sliding the end out of a bracket underneath the top. The top is made of solid teak boards. The metal ...Category
Vintage 1950s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsIron
- Pedersen & Hansen Large Dresser or Table Top Teak MirrorBy Pedersen & HansenLocated in San Mateo, CALarge table top cheval mirror by Pedersen & Hansen. The glass portion is 19.5 inches in diameter and the frame with the knobs is 28 inches wide. The frame is made of teak. The mirror frame has great finger joint details. The mirror can tilt up or down and is fixed in place by tightening the knobs on the side. The back of the mirror is covered with teak giving it a finished appearance. This retains the original label. Please request a new shipping quote as the listed quote is showing in home delivery...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Table Mirrors
MaterialsMirror, Teak
- Stunning Three Seater Danish Sofa By Grete JalkBy Grete JalkLocated in Portlaoise, IEA stunningly beautiful sofa designed by the legendary Grete Jalk for Poul Jeppesen Mobelfabrik. Exceedingly rare in rosewood this piece has remarkable grain pattern and is presented ...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Hardwood
- Two Seater by Grete JalkBy Grete JalkLocated in Copenhagen, DK2-Seater sofa in black leather and legs in rosewood. Grete Jalk / Johannes Hansen.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsRosewood
$6,189 - Handsome Teak Grete Jalk 3 Seater Sofa for France and SonBy Grete JalkLocated in Pemberton, NJA Grete Jalk's sculptural sofa for France & Son, this three-seater features sinuously contoured slats that create spectacular lines from all angles. The flared armrests, base and ori...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Teak
- Scandinavian Modern Teak Sofa after Grete JalkBy France & Daverkosen, Grete JalkLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis Scandinavian modern teak sofa after Grete Jalk features stylish Mid-Century Modern design, iconic sculpted seat back, and rich vintage teak finish. Vintage upholstered cushions ...Category
Vintage 1960s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Sofas
MaterialsTeak
$1,960 Sale Price38% Off - 2 Seater Sofa Model 118 Made With a Teak Frame By Grete Jalk From 1960sBy Grete JalkLocated in Lejre, DKThis 2-seater sofa from around the 1960s is a rare beauty designed by Grete Jalk and manufactured by France & Søn in Denmark. It is made of beautiful teak wood and has newly upholste...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsTeak
- Grete Jalk Model-128 Cognac Leather & Teak 3-Seater Sofa for France & SønBy Grete Jalk, France & SønLocated in Los Angeles, CAGrete Jalk Model-128 Cognac Leather & Teak 3-Seater Sofa for France & Søn ________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like brin...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Teak