Kurt Østervig / Niels Koefoed Rosewood Drop-Leaf Dining Table

Niels Koefoed’s furniture is a demonstration of mastery through dedication. The Danish designer devoted himself to creating dining room furniture in mid-century modern and Scandinavian modern styles. Koefoed was best known for his elegant dining room chairs and exquisite dining room tables that he designed to accompany them. His use of hardwoods, like teak, rosewood and cherry, ensured that each piece retained its charm and beauty.

Koefoed was born into a family in the furniture design and manufacturing business. His father, Einar Koefoed, had opened a furniture factory in Hornslet, Denmark, in the 1920s. Hornslet was a furniture town that was home to upholstery and cabinet companies. Koefoed’s Møbelfabrik, the Koefoed family factory, specialized in fine furniture. Over the 1950s and 60s, the company became widely recognized for Niels Koefoed’s popular dining room chairs.

One of Koefoed’s first designs to receive significant attention was the 1957 Peter dining chair. The chair’s appeal lay in its refreshingly light and minimalistic style, with a comfortable curved back and leather seat. Koefoed reportedly named the chair after his son.

In 1964, Koefoed created his most iconic design: the Eva dining chair, named for one of his daughters. He described the tall and graceful chair as feminine, with full hips and narrow shoulders. The chair continues to be in high demand today. It was part of a series of dining chairs named after important women in Koefoed’s life, the other two being the Ingrid chair, also named for a daughter, and the Lis chair. Together, the chairs were known as the “three lovely girls.”

In 2004, Koefoed’s Møbelfabrik relocated to Thailand and continued manufacturing furniture. However, many of the company’s classic mid-century designs, including the Peter and Eva chairs, are today reproduced by the Danish company CASØ Furniture.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Niels Koefoed seating, tables and more.

Kurt Ejvind Østervig was born in 1912 in Odense, Denmark. He was originally trained and worked as a shipbuilding engineer. However, by the 1930s Østervig shifted to furniture design because of his passion for woodworking.

Østervig's career as a furniture designer began at E. Knudsen’s architectural design studio in Odense. In 1947, Østervig opened his first own studio as a freelance furniture designer, with a focus on modern design. In the following decades, he worked with many of the leading Scandinavian furniture producers of the period.

Østervig was exceptionally versatile, designing furniture for hotels, cinemas, and won numerous design competitions during his career. He won awards at the Milan Triennale in 1953 and 1960. In the 1960s, one of Østervig’s designs was selected for an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Østervig had a flair for the dramatic, infusing his furnishings with unique elements that stood out. From elegant, organic to coarse and purely functional furniture, his versatility earned him recognition.

Find vintage Kurt Østervig seating, tables, storage cabinets and other furniture on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by H. Gallery)