Excellent Large Finn Juhl Diplomat Desk, Denmark 1960s
View Similar Items
Excellent Large Finn Juhl Diplomat Desk, Denmark 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:France & Søn (Manufacturer),Finn Juhl (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.35 in (72 cm)Width: 74.81 in (190 cm)Depth: 37.41 in (95 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Berlin, DE
- Reference Number:Seller: cc.schirach1stDibs: LU1591225650642
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.
- Architectural Desk with Bookshelf, Italy, 1960sLocated in Berlin, DEArchitectural desk with bookshelf, Italy 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMetal
- George Nelson Desk for Herman Miller, 1960sBy George Nelson, Herman MillerLocated in Berlin, DEGeorge Nelson Desk for Herman Miller, 1960s The Top has a very floating appearance.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Large Solid Teak Coffee Table, 1960s DenmarkLocated in Berlin, DESolid teak coffee table, 1960s, Denmark.Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Architectural Mid Century Desk, 1940s, SwedenLocated in Berlin, DEArchitectural mid century desk, 1940s, Sweden.Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
- Charlotte Perriand Desk "Petit Bureau en forme libre" for CassinaBy Charlotte Perriand, CassinaLocated in Berlin, DEPrice given applies to the piece as shown in the first picture. Prices vary dependent on the chosen material. Available in Mahogany or American walnut or a lacquered version (differe...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
- Bodil Kjær Office Desk Table, Wood and Steel by KarakterBy Bodil KjaerLocated in Berlin, DEThe iconic desk, designed in 1959, was the first of its kind with its pure and simplistic design, almost floating mid-air. Bodil Kjærs’ design has been called ‘The most beautiful desk in the world’ – or, the ‘James Bond desk...Category
2010s Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsAluminum
$12,588 / item
- Rosewood "Diplomat" Desk by Finn JuhlBy Finn Juhl, France & DaverkosenLocated in VANCOUVER, CARosewood Danish desk by Finn Juhl for France & Son, circa 1960's. The "Diplomat" desk provides an inviting and spacious surface for productivity. Beautiful grain patterns and sleek t...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Scandinavian Modern Diplomat Desk in Rosewood by Finn Juhl For France & SonBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in Lejre, DKDiplomat desk in rosewood designed by Finn Juhl and manufactured by France & Son in the 1960s. The desk is in great vintage condition. This product will be inspected thoroughly at o...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsRosewood
- 1960s Finn Juhl France & Son Technocrat Desk Model 963 in Teak Made in DenmarkBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in Philadelphia, PAListed for sale is a 1960's Finn Juhl for France & Son Technocrat Desk Model 963 in Teak. Overall this item is in very good to excellent condition. The wood top is free from any major scratches, stains, or major imperfections. It has aged quite nicely and shows a gorgeous and very subtle patina. The drawers open easily and the metal finish on the legs are intact and clean. The bottom of the desk top from the ground is 26-1/2" but total clearance from the ground is 24-3/4" to the middle support beam. This piece came from a notable modern estate in Boston. It was purchased from Machine Age by the previous owner. The Eames aluminum chair...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Mid-Century Modern Teak FD-951 Diplomat Desk by Finn Juhl for France & SønBy Finn Juhl, France & SønLocated in Amsterdam, NLMagnificent and large Mid-Century Modern executive Diplomat FD-951 desk. Design by Finn Juhl for France & Søn. Striking Danish design from the 1960s. Solid teak and original teak ven...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Vintage Danish Teak Dining Table by Finn Juhl for France & Søn, 1960sBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in Asaa, DKVintage Danish dining table by Finn Juhl for France & Søn 1960s Large teak table Model Diplomat by Danish architect Finn Juhl, designed in 1962. Suit...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Finn Juhl Teak Writing DeskBy Finn Juhl, BovirkeLocated in SAINT LOUIS, MOThis a wonderful example of a Finn Juhl freestanding teak writing desk with detachable 20.25 inch flip-down leaf, the table measures 88.25 inches when fully extended. The drawer section has four polychrome lacquered drawers. The desk features an anodized metal frame with teak shoes...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsSteel
$19,800
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
What Makes Scandinavian Modernism and Nordic Design So Irresistible?
Andrew Duncanson, founder of the Stockholm- and London-based gallery Modernity, weighs in on the masters of mid-century furniture and decorative arts.
Original in Berlin’s Lars Triesch Has Turned a Passion for Design into a Booming Business
His two gallery spaces in the German capital bring together thousands of pieces ranging from mid-century classics and Murano glass to covetable reproductions manufactured in-house.