Kai Kristiansen Set of Eight Restored, Ebonized Dining Chairs, Inc. Reupholstery
View Similar Items
Kai Kristiansen Set of Eight Restored, Ebonized Dining Chairs, Inc. Reupholstery
About the Item
- Creator:Kai Kristiansen (Designer),Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik (Cabinetmaker)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29.14 in (74 cm)Width: 21.26 in (54 cm)Depth: 18.12 in (46 cm)Seat Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 8
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Oak,Woodwork
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Repaired: Chairs have been checked by our cabinetmaker to ensure stability of all joints. Swivel mechanism in the backrest have been checked and fastend if needed. Chairs have been sanded, ebonized and waxed leaving only minimal signs of age and use. Reupholstered. Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Chairs have been refinished and will be reupholstered in Kvadrat fabric of choice.
- Seller Location:Knebel, DK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2713322859992
Chair #42
A radical, simple piece of furniture, Kai Kristiansen's (b. 1929) Chair #42 perfectly exemplifies Danish modern design’s meld of form, space and functionality.
Produced in 1956 for Danish manufacturer Schou Andersen, the functional and modest properties of Kristiansen’s minimalist dining chair are emphasized when viewed from the front. Admiring Chair #42 from the side tells a different story, however, as the focus shifts from its sharply inclined rear legs and joined armrests to a tilting, floating backrest.
The chair’s profile is dramatic and radical, and examining the frame from this perspective helps clarify why Chair #42 earned the nickname “Z Chair” over the years. Kristiansen’s elegant piece is both simple and technically difficult, its soft lines belying the expert craftsmanship therein while referencing earlier artisan furniture that influenced the Danish modern movement as well as Kristiansen himself.
Trained as a cabinetmaker, Kristiansen studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen under Kaare Klint, who is widely recognized as one of the founders of modern Danish design. The young Kristiansen established his practice soon after, focusing mostly on seating and storage for prominent Danish manufacturers such as Andersen, Fritz Hansen and Magnus Olesen. While he’s largely known for the quality of his designs, Kristiansen was equally comfortable designing chairs, desks, sideboards and wall units.
Kristiansen designed the Model 31 chair shortly after Chair #42 — a similar model, with inlaid arms — as well as the popular Paper Knife series of sofas and chairs. As a designer, he favored teak and rosewood, and garnered major renown for his dark-wood FM modular wall unit in 1957 for Feldballes Møbelfabrik. The customizable shelving system was popular throughout Europe and in the United States, and remains one of the best-known examples of modular shelving, predating Dieter Rams’s 606 Universal Shelving System for Vitsoe by several years. Many of Kristiansen’s designs fell out of production due to their manufacturing challenges, although some collections have recently been reissued by Japan’s Miyazaki Chair Factory.
The stripped-down, spare Chair #42 is one of the earliest modern ergonomic chairs, specifically designed to support the sitter. Suitable for a dining room or as a reading chair, it is Kristiansen’s best-known chair. The piece has effectively remained in production since the 1950s and is currently available from Miyazaki.
Kai Kristiansen
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.
- Kai Kristiansen Set of Four Restored Dining Chairs in Oak, Inc. ReupholsteryBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKSet of four restored dining chairs in oak with adjustable backrest by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik. The chairs have Kai Kristiansens typical light and elegant design tha...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak, Fabric
- Eight Restored Ebonized Kai Kristiansen Dining Chairs Custom Upholstery IncludedBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKSet of 8 restored and ebonized oak dining chairs, inc. reupholstery with swivel backrest by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik. The chai...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Eight Restored Ebonized Kai Kristiansen Dining Chairs Custom Upholstery IncludedBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKSet of 8 fully restored and ebonized model 42 oak dining chairs with swivel backrests by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik., The chairs have Kai Kristiansen’s typical light an...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Kai Kristiansen Twelve Refinished Dining Chairs in Oak, Inc. ReupholsteryBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKSet of 12 model 42 oak dining chairs with swivel backrest by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik. The chairs have Kai Kristiansens typical light and elegant design that make them...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Kai Kristiansen Eight Fully Restored Teak Dining Chairs inc. Custom ReupholstryBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKSet of eight fully restored, 1960s teak dining chairs by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik. The chairs have Kai Kristiansens typical light and elegant design that make them fit in easily where you want them in your home - a design that was so uniqe that his colleague the famous designer Hans J. Wegner characterized model 42 as beautiful from all angles when the chair with it´s unique backrest swivel function was revealed in 1956. The chairs are in very good condition as they have been fully restored, all joints chacked and split apart if any signs of them getting loose, those that are split apart reglued under pressure, all other needed repairs made, sanded by hand 2 - 3 times and vaxed 2 - 3 times by our experienced workshop to insure that they are in very good condition with only minimal signs of age and use and will be reupholstered without additional cost in fabric a large selection of fabrics from "Kvadrat" / "Romo" or a large selection of leathers from "Sorensen Leather" / Ca-mo Leather". Kai Kristiansen was one of the last pupils of the famous architect Kaare Klint who founded modern Danish design and laid the foundation for the "Danish Modern" style. During the years 1958-78 Kristiansen worked in his business in Aarhus owned jointly by himself and furniture maker Illum Wikkelsø (1919-99). Kristiansens works met their most intense demand during a few decades from 1950, then production of them was discontinued. However, several of them are now being produced again by the Japanese furniture producer Miyazaki Chair Mill in Tokushima. An Australien producer has also included Kristiansen production in their portfolio. Kai Kristiansen might have been the originator of mass produced furniture, had he accepted an offer from Ikea-founder Ingvar Kamprad. He declined to let himself enroll in the Ikea staff. Kristiansen exhibitions include numerous participations in furniture and design shows in Milano, Paris, Cologne and London. Among his most cherished works is the Paper Knife collection...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak
- Kai Kristiansen Set of Eight Restored Oak Dining Chairs, - Custom UpholsteryBy Kai Kristiansen, Schou Andersen MøbelfabrikLocated in Knebel, DKSet of eight restored and refinished dining chairs in oak with adjustable backrest by Kai Kristiansen for Schous Møbelfabrik. The chairs have Kai Kristiansens typical light and eleg...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Kai Kristiansen Set of 4 "Universe 301" Dining Chairs, 1960, DenmarkBy Magnus Olesen, Kai KristiansenLocated in The Hague, NLMid-Century Modern set of 4 model "universe 301" dining chairs Made in Denmark, 1965. Designed by Kai Kristiansen for Magnus Olesen (marked on bottom of each chair). Seats are newl...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak, Fabric
- Set of 4 Kai Kristiansen chairsBy Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik, Kai KristiansenLocated in London, GBA fine set of 4 Kai Kristiansen dining chair in blue wool, probably reupholstered about 20 years ago. Some signs of use but no stains nor unsightly marks. The frames have a nice pati...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWool
$6,079 / set - Set of Eight Dining Room Chairs, Model 42, Designed by Kai KristiansenBy Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik, Kai KristiansenLocated in Lejre, DKThis set of 8 dining chairs is truly an iconic example of the timeless elegance that characterizes Danish furniture design from the Mid-20th Century. The chairs are model 42, designe...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Kai Kristiansen Set of Four Dining Chairs in Teak for K.S. Mobler Denmark, 1960sBy K.S. Mobler, Kai Kristiansen, Niels Otto MøllerLocated in Bridgeport, CTFantastic set of four dining chairs in teak with wool seats designed in the 1960s by Kai Kristiansen for K.S. Mobler of Denmark. The style of these Kai Kristiansen chairs is often mi...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak
- Set of 6 Model 31 Kai Kristiansen Dining Chairs in OakBy Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik, Kai KristiansenLocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: Denmark Designer: Kai Kristiansen Manufacturer: Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik Era: 1960s Materials: Oak, wool Measurements: 18" wide x 20" deep x 29? tall. Condition: In...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWool, Oak
- Set of Four Dining Room Chairs, Model 31 by Kai Kristiansen, 1960sBy Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik, Kai KristiansenLocated in Lejre, DKA set of four dining room chairs, model 31, designed by Kai Kristiansen in 1956 and manufactured by Schou Andersen in the 1960s. The chairs are of rosewood and upholstered in red lea...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood