CARL HANSEN & SON SIGNATURE CHAIR
Frits Henningsen’s final design
Frits Henningsen’s uncompromising approach to furniture design culminated with his 1954 Signature Chair, which crowned his distinguished career. Carl Hansen & Son is now recreating this elegant armchair and once again making the final work of one of Denmark’s most interesting designers available to the public.
The Signature Chair was the last piece of furniture Frits Henningsen designed and produced. Carl Hansen & Son is now recreating this unique work by one of Danish design’s most renowned 20th century personalities.
A cabinetmaker who held his profession to very high standards, Frits Henningsen always produced his own designs. He often began the process by creating a small model. The Signature Chair, for example, was designed with the aid of plasticine, with toothpicks standing in for legs. The frame was then manufactured in his Copenhagen workshop, undergoing months of testing and adjustments before Frits Henningsen was content with the result.
Over the course of his career, Frits Henningsen’s designs evolved towards increased simplicity, with the Signature Chair becoming his purest and most pared-down piece of furniture. The Signature Chair was finally complete in 1954, and fewer than 20 pieces were produced. It is therefore an extremely rare piece of furniture and not often seen at auctions. On the rare occasions it does appear, the chair is highly sought after among collectors and has often sold for large sums in recent years.
Knud Erik Hansen, CEO of Carl Hansen & Son, comments:
“Our work with Frits Henningsen, and later with his family, has been ongoing for many years, and the recreation of the Signature Chair is a continuation of this partnership. We had the opportunity to review Frits Henningsen’s archives and found drawings of this, his last chair. This is the chair that put the finishing touch on Frits Henningsen’s lifework and consummated his legacy as one of Denmark’s greatest furniture designers. The Signature Chair is therefore an indisputable classic, and its timeless design makes it a natural addition to our product range.”
While many of Frits Henningsen’s younger contemporaries made increasing use of straight lines in their design work, Frits Henningsen emphasized the importance of achieving comfort and elegance through the use of graceful, curved lines, as evidenced by many of his furniture pieces. This is clearly visible in the Signature Chair, whose soft, inviting shapes and floating armrests achieve a simple, organic form that calls for quiet contemplation and gives the user a feeling of security and optimal comfort.
Knud Erik Hansen concludes:
“With its very simple design, the Signature Chair tells the story of a cabinetmaker who was uncompromising and perfectionistic in his choice of materials and execution. The chair in many ways reflects the culmination of a long career as a furniture designer and cements Frits Henningsen’s prominent position in Danish furniture design history.”
The Signature Chair (product code FH429) is available with a solid oak or walnut frame in various finishes and with leather or fabric upholstery. The chair’s dimensions are 41 cm (seat height), 102 cm (height), 89 cm (depth) and 67 cm (width).
Available now through designFARM.