"James Bond" Desk by Bodil Kjær

Free standing desk table in Rio rosewood with four integrated drawers with a drawer on wheels. Key included. Label from manufacturer.

Early and rare edition of Bodil Kjaer freestanding executive desk, model 901 with chrome-plated metal frame, cassette top with four recessed drawers. Metal frame in very good condition. Four keys included. Produced by E. Pedersen & Søn, Denmark. An identical desk featured in the 1960s in the New York Times and The Sunday Times. It became even more famous when it was in some of the first James Bond films: ‘From Russia with love’ & ‘You only live twice’. The desk also appeared prominently in BBC election broadcasts. Literature: Mobilia, June 1961. This freestanding desk can be used with multiple purposes, as a writing table, desk or just 'work table', as Bodil Kjaer herself called it. According to Bodil Kjaer the idea of the table is, "that it should be suitable with modern art and architecture." The table is part of a larger series of elements of architecture in 1959, with the intention to build flexible working environments. This piece shows an interesting rhythm of horizontal and vertical lines, as do most of Kjaer's designs. The front is divided into four drawers. (Can be locked with its original Keys) The back has the same in inward gap yet without the drawers, yet this aesthetic choice unites the back and front and turns it into a monumental, architectural piece. The handles are all executed with a whole in the middle for functionality. The table's rise to fame was helped by its appearance in James Bond - From Russia with Love. Bodil Kjaer (1932-) is trained as an architect and is known mostly known for her designs in noble woods combined with a modern and sleek chrome base. The most important part of her furniture design career was from 1959-1964. She is mainly recognized for her flexible office furniture, designed in the 1960s. Her design language is greatly inspired by the Modernist masters such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Her furniture has been greatly used in public buildings such as Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Young executives that Bodil Kjær encountered in her work in architecture and design in the late 1950es were open, creative and flexible in their way of working. So, she reasoned that it would be counter-productive for them to be offered traditional office...