Borge Mogensen

Borge Mogensen designed some of the most renowned furniture pieces of the 1950s and 1960s. An exceptionally productive man, Mogensen’s collection of designs numbers into the thousands. New ideas came to him at any time of the day or night, and were scribbled down on matchboxes, table napkins, creased envelopes, or whatever was at hand. His lifelong mission was to create simple and practical furniture.

Appearance was important, but never at the expense of functionality. He disapproved of colleagues who succumbed to the whims of fashion, ignored functionality or used excessively expensive materials. In the same breath, he defiantly brushed off any criticism for only using wood, his preferred material in all its different embodiments.

One of Mogensen’s most iconic pieces is the Spanish Chair, an interpretation of a traditional type of chair often found in areas influenced by ancient Islamic culture from Andalusia to northern India.