Peter Hvidt and Orla Molgaard France and Sons Danish Rosewood Coffee Table 1960s
View Similar Items
Peter Hvidt and Orla Molgaard France and Sons Danish Rosewood Coffee Table 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Hvidt & Mølgaard (Designer),France & Søn (Cabinetmaker)
- Dimensions:Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)Width: 57.09 in (145 cm)Depth: 23.63 in (60 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Sherborne, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: France and sons1stDibs: LU4257213463312
Hvidt & Mølgaard
Warm, exceptionally versatile and crafted with a range of appealing materials, vintage Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen furniture showcases the Danish duo’s penchant for innovation and durable design. For decades, the pair created sleek coffee tables, seductive lounge chairs and other pieces that are characterized by the practicality and elegance commonly attributed to Scandinavian modernism.
Both Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen attended what is now the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, with Mølgaard-Nielsen having completed his studies under the Danish furniture design pioneer and architect Kaare Klint. Trained as an architect and cabinetmaker, Hvidt established his own firm in 1940 and taught at his alma mater for a few years. After they won a design competition held in Stockholm, Hvidt partnered with Mølgaard-Nielsen in 1944 to establish their firm in Copenhagen.
The collaboration between Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen yielded more than 250 designs and lasted over 30 years. Aside from having created a wardrobe for the Queen of Denmark as well as numerous architectural structures, the pair’s flagship achievements include 1944’s teak Portex chair, which is Denmark’s first-ever stacking chair (and is occasionally attributed to Hvidt alone), and the AX chair.
A masterpiece of technical expertise and innovative woodworking, the sculptural AX armchair shares commonalities with the work of legendary Finnish designer Alvar Aalto — whose output included similarly curvaceous seating such as the Paimio armchair, often designed in partnership with his wife, Aino. It features double-curved laminated wood in the seat and back — which could be mass-produced — and is an early example of knock-down furniture. This meant that it could be easily dismantled and assembled at its destination, which rendered the chair economical for transport on cargo ships and therefore could reach a worldwide audience.
While vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard furniture isn’t as popular as the work of Finn Juhl, a like-minded Danish modernist who helped popularize Scandinavian design in America as well as the use of teak in furniture, the innovative AX chair is similarly as expressive and inviting as Juhl’s seating. The AX was designed in collaboration with manufacturer Fritz Hansen during the late 1940s and went into production in 1950. It gave way to a series that includes tables and other types of seating.
Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen collaborated regularly with Fritz Hansen, France & Søn and Søborg Møbelfabrik. Their work can be found in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen’s Design Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.
Find vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard dining tables, coffee tables, modular sofas, storage cabinets and more on 1stDibs.
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.
- Mid-Century Fritz Hansen Teak Tray Table by Engholm & Willumsen Denmark 1960sBy Fritz Hansen, Willumsen & EngholmLocated in Sherborne, DorsetA very stylish teak tray table, model 4508, designed by H. Engholm and Sven Aage Willumsen for Fritz Hansen in 1957. The circular table top tray is beautifully sculpted in teak and s...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBeech, Teak
- 1960s Danish Modern Teak Occasional Side Wine Table by Hans C Andersen for ArtexBy ArtexLocated in Sherborne, DorsetThis perfectly proportioned Danish tripod base side table was designed by Hans C. Andersen for Artex. This is a lovely example of Danish Modern design. Its shaft and base are of soli...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsFormica, Teak
- 1960s Danish Modern Teak Extending Dining Table AM Ansager Mobler MidcenturyBy AM Mobler, Ansager Møbler 1Located in Sherborne, DorsetSlim, sleek and very stylish, this 1960s Danish modern draw leaf teak extending dining table was manufactured by AM Møbler (Ansager Møbler) Denmark. It seats six when closed (130 cm)...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsTeak
$2,102 Sale Price25% Off - Pair 1970s French Lamp Side Occasional Tables Brass Glass Hollywood RegencyBy Maison JansenLocated in Sherborne, DorsetStunning pair of square occasional tables in brushed brass with solid brass joints and thick green glass tops, ideal as side tables or sofa ends. The manufacturing is top quality, over engineered with elegant box section...Category
Late 20th Century French Hollywood Regency Side Tables
MaterialsBrass
$2,657 Sale Price / set20% Off - 1960s Pendant Lamp P376 by Fabricius and Kastholm for Nordisk Solar, DenmarkBy Nordisk Solar Co., Jørgen Kastholm & Preben FabriciusLocated in Sherborne, DorsetThis original 1960s 'P376' pendant lamp was designed by ace design duo Jørgen Kastholm and Preben Fabricius for Nordisk Solar Co. Preben Fabricius trained as a carpenter in Copenha...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsAluminum
- 1960s Arlus French Space Age Chrome White Retro Table Desk Lamp MidcenturyBy Arlus, Atelier Jean PerzelLocated in Sherborne, DorsetThis beautiful 1960s French table lamp by Arlus has a very stylish Space Age look. Its slender conical shaft is elegantly curved and goes down to a plate foot metal base, which is wh...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Chrome, Aluminum
- Mid-Century Peter Hvidt, Orla Molgaard Minerva Coffee Table, France & Son, 1960sBy Hvidt & Mølgaard, France & Søn, Peter HvidtLocated in Stamford, CTMid-Century Peter Hvidt, Orla Molgaard Minerva Coffee Table, France & Son, 1960s Danish modern Minerva coffee table model 515 by Peter Hvidt & Orl...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard Teak Coffee Table for France & Son, Denmark, 1960sBy France & Søn, Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter HvidtLocated in Hellouw, NLNice Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard teak coffee table for France & Son from Denmark the 1960s. This table has a minimalistic design, however is elegant due to the usage of the round e...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak
- "Minerva" coffee table by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, 1960sBy France & Søn, Hvidt & MølgaardLocated in Neuss, NWWonderful coffee table, model "Minerva", by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen for France & Son from the 1960s. High-quality solid wood frame made of teak with a shelf made of braid...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsReed, Teak
- Minerva coffee table by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, 1960sBy France & Søn, Hvidt & MølgaardLocated in Neuss, NWWonderful Minerva coffee table by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen for France & Son from the 1960s. High-quality solid wood frame made of teak ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak
- 1960s Teak Side Table by Peter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard for France & Son DaverkosenBy France & Søn, France & Daverkosen, Hvidt & MølgaardLocated in Kirchlengern, DETeak side table. Designed by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard. Produced by France and Son and France & Daverkosen, 1960s. This original teak side table was made by France & Da...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWood, Teak
- Coffee Table in Solid Rosewood by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, DenmarkBy Hvidt & Mølgaard, France & SønLocated in Goteborg, SEHigh quality coffee table in solid rosewood. Designed by the Danish architects Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen in 1956. This example has got an extra extension in black Formica...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsFormica, Rosewood