3 Danish Modern Designers You Should Know About

Danish Modern furniture is, if you can get your hands on it, a great way to improve the look and feel of your home.

Actually, it's a sure-fire way to make said home a nicer place to be.

Danish Modern furniture is characterised by its clean lines, emphasis on craftsmanship and the use of the best materials. To put it another way, it's how furniture should be.

We’ll have a closer look at Danish Modern in time but until then, here are three names that you should be aware of. 

Kaare Klint

Klint is often viewed as the man behind Danish Modern, which is a bit strange because he was right at the forefront of it. No jokes? Fine.

Klint’s real influence lies not so much in his designs but more in the fact that he founded the Danish furniture school at the Royal Academy in 1924. This was the school that pretty much shaped a generation of designers in one way or another.

That is not to say his designs weren’t up to scratch. That would be foolish. Classic pieces like the Propeller Stool are a fine example of just how good a designer he was.

Where would you see his work? The Danish Museum of Art & Design for one. As an architect and furniture designer, he was heavily involved with the overhaul of the building between 1921 and 1926. Note also that the café in the museum is named in his honour. 

Aside from that you'll find it in most major museums at one point or another. He was that good. 

Børge Mogensen

While the name might sound like the sort of thing you would say to Björn Borg if you met him in the elevator on the way down to breakfast, it actually means something entirely different. Quality and craftsmanship for one.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mogensen spent some time working with Klint, which probably explains why he was so committed to highly functional furniture in simple, classic shapes.

Mogensen was nothing if not studious. Somewhere in between designing a lot of high quality furniture, he found the time to have a crack at the ambitious “Øresund” series. Devised by Mogensen himself, this project attempted to solve every storage problem that could possibly arise in a modern house. We would have just gone for a beer but that’s us.

Where would you see his work? Mogensen was a prolific designer so you can see his pieces in a wide variety of places. His work is often exhibited in one-man shows all around the world. If that’s all too vague, then have a look at the Mogensen furniture we have been able to source ourselves. You’re welcome.

Hans Wegner

Hans Wegner is often referred to as the “Master of the Chair”. We assume that this is an affectionate moniker but we are sure that he was given the title because he designed some 500 of the things.

Wegner, like the others on this list, began as an architect. This may go some way to explaining the precision with which his pieces are crafted. He is as famous for the quality of his joints (not the ones you smoke) as he is for his prolificacy.

Wegner took his work very seriously. Or at least, that’s the impression we got when we studied some of his quotes: “The chair does not exist. The good chair is a task one is never completely done with". Not sure we totally agree with your there, Hans, but we are just pleased that you felt like that.

Where can you see his work? His chairs have featured in practically every major gallery in the world. Wegner’s most popular designs are the Chinese Chair, the Peacock Chair and the Round Chair, which featured in the Nixon vs Kennedy debates. Such was the interest in this piece, it become known simply as 'The Chair'. 

That's a pretty good title.

If you would like to see what kind of Danish Modern furniture we offer, visit our Danish Modern collection.