Modular Teak Wall Units by Finn Juhl for France & Son
About the Item
- Creator:France & Søn (Manufacturer),Finn Juhl (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 55.13 in (140.04 cm)Width: 136.5 in (346.71 cm)Depth: 18.5 in (46.99 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. Please see pictures.
- Seller Location:Denton, TX
- Reference Number:
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Denton, TX
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- German Modernist Wall Unit by Schieder MobelLocated in Denton, TXCombination of ebonized oak with teak and glass make this wall unit usable as a bookcase / display cabinet or media center. The faceted arched glass doors...Category
20th Century German Modern Vitrines
MaterialsGlass, Mirror, Wood
- Merton Gershun for Dillingham Wedge Shaped BookcaseBy Merton GershunLocated in Denton, TXGreat tapered design, the bookcase seems like it's leaning against the wall. Designed by Merton Gershun for American of Martinsville. The combination of walnut and black masonite is ...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWalnut, Masonite
- Barzilay wall unitBy BarzilayLocated in Denton, TXBarzilay single floating wall unit with one drawer cabinet and one cubby case with adjustable shelves .Each cabinet can be hung at any desired height. The upright sticks are new repl...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsMetal
- Antique French Cherrywood Buffet Deux CorpLocated in Denton, TXCountry French wild cherry two-piece buffet with top.Category
Antique 19th Century French Louis XV Buffets
MaterialsCherry, Oak
- Mastercraft Style Burl & Brass BookcaseBy MastercraftLocated in Denton, TXMastercraft Style Burl & Brass Bookcase. Low profile bookcase that features burl and brass that is finished on both sides. This piece can be easil...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsBrass
- Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Teak TrayBy Jens QuistgaardLocated in Denton, TXSolid teak footed bentwood tray. Large early Stamp Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Staved teak serving tray.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsTeak
- Finn Juhl Rosewood Modular Bookcase SystemBy Finn JuhlLocated in Atlanta, GARosewood "Diplomat" model modular bookcase system, designed by Finn Juhl for France and Sons, Denmark, circa 1960s. This set is extremely versatile and can be laid out any way you li...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Finn Juhl for Bovirke Large Wall Unit in Teak and BrassBy Bovirke, Finn JuhlLocated in Waalwijk, NLFinn Juhl for Bovirke, wall unit, model 'BO71', teak, pine, brass, Denmark, 1950s This eccentric library unit designed by the renowned designer Finn Juhl is based on an elongated c...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Bookcases
MaterialsBrass
- Baker Finn Juhl Modular Wall Unit, circa 1950sBy Baker Furniture CompanyLocated in Toledo, OHBaker Finn Juhl adjustable modular wall unit, circa 1950s. Can be positioned vertically or horizontal. Each unit measures 32" x 11" x 14" tall. Shelf measures 10" x 54".Category
Vintage 1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsWood
- Bookcase / Wall Unit by Finn Juhl BO71 for Bovirke, 1960s Rosewood Pine BrassBy Finn JuhlLocated in Rosendahl, DELarge modular wall shelf BO71 from the 1960s with a beautiful rosewood veneer and shelves made of pine and brass, designed by Finn Juhl in 1953. The...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Bookcases
MaterialsBrass
- Finn Juhl Wall Shelving for BakerBy Baker Furniture Company, Finn JuhlLocated in Brooklyn, NYRare modular shelving system. Six birch open front cabinets and two cabinets with teak sliding doors. Dovetail construction. Cabinets easily hang f...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Shelves
MaterialsBirch
- Mid-Century Modern Modular shelving system BO71 in teak by Finn JuhlBy Finn JuhlLocated in Courbevoie, FRModular shelving system BO71 in teak by Finn Juhl for Bovirke in the 1960s. Comprising 3 columns, 4 rules, 1 unit with 6 drawers, a writing desk, 13 Oregon pine shelves, and 22 brass...Category
Vintage 1960s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Bookcases
MaterialsTeak