This article was originally published on Domus 1065, February 2022.

Comfy backrests in curved wood, seats woven by hand, perfect joints and harmonious shapes. These are the qualities of the chairs designed by Hans J. Wegner (1914-2007) in the 1950s.

A prolific protagonist of Scandinavian design, after training as a cabinetmaker, studying at the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen and forging friendships with designers like Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller, Wegner focused his research on chair design. New living needs began to change domestic spaces, which required lighter and more flexible furniture: Wegner worked on function, comfort and simplicity, supported by a profound knowledge of artisanry.

In 1949, a successful collaboration with Carl Hansen, one of Denmark’s biggest furniture manufacturers, allowed him to reach a vast public and develop his detailed and experimental working method, resulting in the creation of chairs with thanks also to a constant interest in natural materials and the intrinsic potential of wood. 

Five chairs – the first of over 100 designed by Wegner and still present in the Carl Hansen & Søn catalogue – were destined to become cornerstones of Scandinavian design and enjoy enormous success. The most popular is the CH24, better known as the Wishbone Chair, characterised by its organic lines. In the archive drawing (pencil on graph paper), Wegner outlines the frame of the curved backrest, which terminates with a forked piece of wood reminiscent of the animal kingdom – bird bones – to give stability to the steam-curved wood and guarantee comfort. Also in 1950, Wegner made the CH22 (with a large seat in wood), the CH23 (a particularly stable dining chair), the CH25 (an armchair with a hook to hang on the wall), and, finally, the CH26 (with its generous proportions, for those who like spending time at the table).

Wegner stated he worked in a process of purification and simplification to make four legs, a seat, a backrest and armrests. But, still today, over 100 steps are involved in the process, mostly done by hand, to create these chairs, whose seeming simplicity highlights the expressive potentials of natural materials.

Today the five chairs make up the First Masterpieces collection by Carl Hansen & Søn which – in celebration of Wegner’s legacy and the over 70 years of collaboration – proposes a range of colours, developed with the London-based designer Ilse Crawford and inspired by the aesthetics of the Danish painter Per Kirkeby, who explored geology and the natural elements in his art.