Kai 42 Chair
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Palisander
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
Wool, Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
Wool, Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
Velvet, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Palisander, Faux Leather
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Hardwood, Teak
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Bouclé, Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
Bouclé, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wool, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Danish Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood, Fabric
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Faux Leather, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Dining Room Chairs
Wool, Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Rosewood, Leather
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Teak, Leather
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak, Leather, Fabric
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood, Leather, Fabric
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Oak, Fabric
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Beech
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Naugahyde, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks
Teak
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Fruitwood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak, Upholstery
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Faux Leather, Rosewood
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Kai 42 Chair For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Kai 42 Chair?
Kai Kristiansen for sale on 1stDibs
With a passion for math and engineering, Kai Kristiansen has created high-quality wood furniture for decades. Beginning in the 1950s, his chairs, modular shelving and other furnishings were made in the style that would become internationally renowned as Danish modern and boasted clean lines, perfected functionality and exacting craftsmanship.
Born in Denmark, Kristiansen trained in cabinetmaking before studying with Kaare Klint, often cited as the “father of modern Danish design,” at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. At just 26 years old, Kristiansen opened his own studio.
Kristiansen had his mid-century breakthrough in 1956 with the Chair #42, which he made with Schou Andersen. Unlike most other chairs at the time, Chair #42’s armrests, with their wealth of radical angles, were connected to the back rather than the front legs. This unconventional flourish makes the backrest appear as though it is floating in midair above the seat.
Kristiansen’s next innovation was a modular wall system in 1957 — three years ahead of Dieter Rams’s more famous 606 Universal Shelving System. Called the Reolsystem Wall Unit, produced by SB Feldballes Møbelfabrik, it’s also known as the FM Wall Unit as FM/Fornem Møbelkunst began producing it in the 1960s.
Kristiansen would go on to work with other leading Danish furniture manufacturers such as Magnus Olesen, Fritz Hansen and Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik, designing everything from chairs and desks to sideboards and cabinets, frequently in rosewood and teak. (The latter was a sought-after wood by Scandinavian modern designers.)
While many of Kristiansen’s timeless designs remain in production, such as his Paper Knife sofa, which was reintroduced by Miyazaki Chair Factory in 2008, and his 1950s Entré collection, which was relaunched with Great Dane Furniture in 2016, others are prized as vintage mid-century pieces.
Today, Kristiansen is still at work on new furniture with an expert eye to thoughtfully functional designs that are made to last.
Find a collection of vintage Kai Kristiansen furniture on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right dining-room-chairs for You
No matter what your dream dining experience looks like, there is a wide-ranging variety of vintage, new and antique dining room chairs on 1stDibs. Find upholstered dining room chairs, wood dining room chairs and more to outfit any space designated for a good meal, be it in your home or in the great outdoors.
In the early 18th century, most dining room tables and other furniture was designed to look masculine. In America, dining rooms weren’t even much of a concept until the late 1700s, when a space set aside specifically for dining became a part of the construction of homes for the wealthy. Dining room chairs of the era were likely made of walnut or oak. In Europe, neoclassical dining chairs emerged during the 1750s owing to nostalgia for classical antiquity, while the curving chair crests of Queen Anne furniture in the United States preceded the artistically bold seat backs that characterized the Chippendale chairs that followed. If there weren't enough dining chairs at suppertime in the American colonies, men were prioritized and women stood.
In the dining rooms of today, however, there is enough space for everyone to have a seat at the table. Modern styles introduce innovative design choices that play with shape and style. Icons of mid-century modern dining room chairs are plentiful: With its distinctive bentwood back, there is the DCW dining chair by Charles and Ray Eames, while Hans Wegner's timeless classic, the Wishbone chair, remains relevant and elegant decades after its debut. Stefano Giovannoni's White Rabbit dining chairs, in their lovable polyethylene biomorphism, reinvent what dining can look like.
Today's wide range of dining room chairs also means that they can now be styled in different ways, bringing functionality and fun to any sumptuous dining space. No longer do tables have to be accompanied by a matching set of seats. Skillfully mixing and matching colors and designs allows you to showcase your personality without sacrificing the cohesion of a given space.
By furnishing your dining room with cozy chairs — vintage, antique or otherwise — family time can extend far beyond mealtime. The plush upholstery of Victorian-style dining room chairs is perfect for game nights that stretch from dinner to midnight snack. Outdoor tables and dining chairs can also present an excellent opportunity for bonding and eating — what goes better with a delicious meal than fresh air, anyway?
Whether you prefer your chairs streamlined and stackable or ornate and one of a kind, the offerings on 1stDibs will elevate your mealtime and beyond.