Mid-Century Dressing Table in Rosewood Designed by Kai Kristiansen, 1960s
View Similar Items
Mid-Century Dressing Table in Rosewood Designed by Kai Kristiansen, 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Aksel Kjersgaard (Maker),Kai Kristiansen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 46.46 in (118 cm)Width: 46.46 in (118 cm)Depth: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Lejre, DK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1020827332732
Kai Kristiansen
With a passion for math and engineering, Kai Kristiansen has created high-quality wood furniture for decades. Beginning in the 1950s, his chairs, modular shelving and other furnishings were made in the style that would become internationally renowned as Danish modern and boasted clean lines, perfected functionality and exacting craftsmanship.
Born in Denmark, Kristiansen trained in cabinetmaking before studying with Kaare Klint, often cited as the “father of modern Danish design,” at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. At just 26 years old, Kristiansen opened his own studio.
Kristiansen had his mid-century breakthrough in 1956 with the Chair #42, which he made with Schou Andersen. Unlike most other chairs at the time, Chair #42’s armrests, with their wealth of radical angles, were connected to the back rather than the front legs. This unconventional flourish makes the backrest appear as though it is floating in midair above the seat.
Kristiansen’s next innovation was a modular wall system in 1957 — three years ahead of Dieter Rams’s more famous 606 Universal Shelving System. Called the Reolsystem Wall Unit, produced by SB Feldballes Møbelfabrik, it’s also known as the FM Wall Unit as FM/Fornem Møbelkunst began producing it in the 1960s.
Kristiansen would go on to work with other leading Danish furniture manufacturers such as Magnus Olesen, Fritz Hansen and Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik, designing everything from chairs and desks to sideboards and cabinets, frequently in rosewood and teak. (The latter was a sought-after wood by Scandinavian modern designers.)
While many of Kristiansen’s timeless designs remain in production, such as his Paper Knife sofa, which was reintroduced by Miyazaki Chair Factory in 2008, and his 1950s Entré collection, which was relaunched with Great Dane Furniture in 2016, others are prized as vintage mid-century pieces.
Today, Kristiansen is still at work on new furniture with an expert eye to thoughtfully functional designs that are made to last.
Find a collection of vintage Kai Kristiansen furniture on 1stDibs.
Aksel Kjersgaard
Danish designer Aksel Kjersgaard founded his eponymous furniture manufacturing company in 1952. Revered by mid-century furniture lovers for its straightforward approach to design of its classic mirrors, which are frequently framed in teak or rosewood — or the graceful, angular forms of its vintage case pieces and storage cabinets — Aksel Kjersgaard is eminently collectible today. It is among the manufacturers that popularized Scandinavian modernism on an international scale, and the popularity of the brand endures.
A master cabinetmaker, Kjersgaard had spent three years traveling through Europe and Morocco toiling in other workshops before he opened his own factory. When he returned to Odder, in his native country, he was eager to start creating his own furniture, and his sleek, minimalist dressers, sideboards, cabinets and wall mirrors debuted in 1955. The factory quickly gained a sterling reputation for its focus on craftsmanship and Kjersgaard’s reluctance to embellish his handmade pieces with ornament or unnecessary decorative flourishes.
Kjersgaard attracted many talents of the Scandinavian modernist movement (and continues to do so today). Known for his Chair #42, which he created with Schou Andersen, designer Kai Kristiansen worked with the company through the 1950s and 1960s, and his side tables and chests became a hallmark of the brand. During the 1970s, architects and former Rud Rasmussen cabinetmakers Søren Nissen and Ebbe Gehl brought their expertise to the manufacturer, introducing a Shaker-influenced line that represented the start of what is now the very popular Naver collection, which is offered by way of a collaboration between Gramrode Møbelfabrik and Aksel Kjersgaard A/S.
Find vintage Aksel Kjersgaard mirrors, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Midcentury Wall Mirror in Rosewood by Kai Kristiansen, Danish Modern, 1960sBy Kai Kristiansen, Aksel KjersgaardLocated in Lejre, DKWall mirror with frame in rosewood. Designed by Kai Kristiansen, made by Aksel Kjersgaard Denmark. Great original condition, circa 1960.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsRosewood
- Danish Mid-Century Commode in Oak by Kai Kristiansen for Aksel KjersgaardBy Aksel Kjersgaard, Kai KristiansenLocated in Lejre, DKCommode in Oak designed by Kai Kristiansen for Aksel Kjersgaard, Denmark. Great original condition, 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dressers
MaterialsOak
- Freestanding Midcentury Desk in Rosewood, Designed by Ejgil Petersen, 1960sLocated in Lejre, DKGreat looking freestanding desk in rosewood, designed and made by Ejgil Petersen, Denmark in 1950s. Very nice original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsRosewood
- Freestanding Midcentury Desk in Rosewood, Designed by Ejgil Petersen, 1960sLocated in Lejre, DKGreat looking freestanding desk in rosewood, designed and made by Ejgil Petersen, Denmark in 1950s. Very nice original condition.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsRosewood
- Mid-Century Desk in Teak by Nanna Ditzel, 1960sBy Nanna Ditzel, Poul Kold SavvaerkLocated in Lejre, DKRare freestanding desk in teak and beech, designed Nanna Ditzel and produced by Poul Kolds Savværk. Great original condition.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBeech, Teak
- Danish Mid-Century Desk in Teak, 1960sBy Haslev MobelsnedkeriLocated in Lejre, DKFreestanding desk in teak, designed and made in Denmark. Great condition.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Dressing Table by Aksel Kjersgaard, Denmark, 1960sBy Aksel KjersgaardLocated in Stockholm, SEDressing table by Aksel Kjersgaard, made from oak. Cool, graphic lines. Mirror with three sections, foldable. Nice, round sculpted handle drawers.Category
Vintage 1960s Scandinavian Modern Vanities
MaterialsMirror, Oak
- French Mid-Century Pecan Wood Dressing TableLocated in New York, NYFrench Mid-Century (1940s) pecan wood dressing table with a parquetry top and mirror (20" high) over a drawer centered by 2 open side shelves.Category
Early 20th Century French Vanities
MaterialsNutwood
- Mid-Century Rosewood Dressing Table by A. Vodder for Ølholm Møbelfabri, 1960sBy Arne Vodder, Olholm MobelfabrikLocated in GNIEZNO, 30A small rosewood dressing table designed by Arne Vodder for Ølholm Møbelfabrik. The dressing table has three drawers. There is an adjustable mirror in the frame above the dressing ta...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
MaterialsRosewood
- Kai Kristiansen Sled Leg Rosewood Desk c1960sBy Kai KristiansenLocated in London, GBKai Kristiansen Model 30 Desk This iconic desk from Danish master Kai Kristiansen features elegant sled legs with 2 drawer units hung on either side. The units have drawers to the f...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsRosewood
- Beautiful Dressing Table by Aksel Kjersgaard in Oak, Denmark, 1960sBy Aksel KjersgaardLocated in Berlin, DEDesigned by Kai Kristiansen for Aksel Kjersgaard in the mid-1960s, model 40. Solid oak drawer fronts with striking round recessed pulls. The mirror angle adjusts by sliding the oak ...Category
20th Century Danish Vanities
MaterialsMirror, Oak
- Vintage Danish Mid Century Modern Rosewood Floating Desk Fm50 by Kai KristiansenBy Kai KristiansenLocated in San Marcos, CAHere is a sought after Scandinavian Modern executive floating desk Model FM60 in rosewood designed by Kai Kristiansen and manufactured by Feldballe's Møbelfabrik in Denmark in the 19...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsRosewood