Scandinavian Modern Executive Desk in Walnut by Jens Risom for Risom Designs

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Scandinavian Modern Executive Desk in Walnut by Jens Risom for Risom Designs

About the Item

Handsome Scandinavian Modern executive double pedestal desk in gorgeous walnut design by Jens Risom for his company Jens Risom Designs, Inc. It is in wonderful vintage condition. The desk has been restored and is beautiful overall but still retains signs of age and use. There are nicks and dings to the edges, and some dark splotches on a leg, along with some small imperfections still visible on its top. We consider this a beautiful, warm, and wonderful age patina, circa 1950s-1960s. Please see photos. If you are looking for an icon of Mid-Century Modern – Scandinavian Modern design, look no further. And if you are wanting a beautiful and functional desk for your home or office, look no further. This fabulous desk was designed circa 1950s-1960s by the famed Jens Risom and produced by his company Jens Risom Designs, Inc. It is comprised of walnut, one of my favorite woods, in solid form and veneer. Even its sculptural drawer pulls are walnut. It boasts two stacks of drawers and a center pencil drawer. The right stack is made up of two equal depth drawers on the bottom topped by one more shallow locking drawer and a pull-out work surface. The left stack is made up of one lower file drawer topped by a shallow locking drawer and a pull-out work surface. The privacy panel and drawer stacks are recessed from the front of the desk providing knee space for visitors or a partner to be able to reach the work surface. Its sleek lines are simply stunning. Jens Risom (1916-2016) was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and came by his talent naturally from his father, Sven Risom, a member of the school of Nordic Classicism. Risom trained as a designer under Ole Wanscher and Kaare Klint along with fellow classmates Hans Wegner and Borge Mogensen at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design. He went on to business college before working and later relocated to Stockholm where, through his work at Nordiska Kompaniet, he was introduced to Alvar Aalto and Bruno Mathsson. In 1939 Jens emigrated to the United States. His big breakthrough and opportunity came when he met Hans Knoll. Together he and Hans launched an icon, Hans Knoll Furniture Company which is now Knoll International. Jens Risom is considered responsible for introducing Danish modern furniture to the United States. Fifteen of the twenty initial offerings in the inaugural Knoll catalog were designed by Risom. He left Knoll in 1946 and founded Jens Risom Design, Inc. You cannot obtain more true Mid-Century Modern design classics than pieces by Jens Risom. We will be sorry to have this piece leave our shop. So, hurry and make it easier. Make it yours now. Desk size: • Height – 28.5 inches • Width – 74.5 inches • Depth – 36 inches • Knee space – 24.5-25.5 H x 31 W inches • Weight – 195 pounds Crated size: • Height – 35 inches • Width – 80 inches • Depth – 42 inches • Weight – 400 pounds.

Creator:
Jens Risom (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 28.5 in (72.39 cm)Width: 74.5 in (189.23 cm)Depth: 36 in (91.44 cm)
Style:
Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Walnut
Place of Origin:
Denmark
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1950s-1960s
Condition:
In wonderful vintage condition. Desk has been restored and is beautiful overall but still retains signs of age and use. There are nicks and dings to the edges, and some dark splotches on a leg, along with some small imperfections still visible on top.
Seller Location:
Topeka, KS
Reference Number:
Seller: BEL-CSG-0891stDibs: LU1873315756172

Shop All Jens Risom

Jens Risom

The Danish-born Jens Risom brought the Scandinavian modern design sensibility to a wide audience in the United States. As the first designer for Knoll Inc., Risom introduced American buyers to the region’s enduring design values of simplicity, grace and craftsmanship.

Risom trained in furniture making at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design under Ole Wanscher, alongside classmates Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen. In 1939, a year after graduating from business school, Risom decided to move to the U.S.

While working for an interior designer in New York in 1941, he met Hans Knoll, and the businessman and the designer hit it off. They brought out their first line the next year, despite wartime materials restrictions. The signature piece — now a design icon — was a lounge chair with a striking, undulant birch frame and a seat made of webbed sub-military grade parachute straps. Risom was drafted into the army, and served as a translator under General George Patton. When he returned from the war, Risom clashed over furniture design ideals with his business partner’s new bride, Florence Knoll, the pioneering mid-century modernist who was schooled in the Bauhaus method, which favored furniture with strict, geometric metal frames. Risom then started his own company, Jens Risom Design.

In the course of his long career, Risom developed a stylistic vocabulary that was a reflection of the life of the man himself: his furniture has Danish warmth coupled with an American air of crisp efficiency. Vintage Risom chairs are almost instantly recognizable — the arms and seat backs are set at a distinctive angle that seems to invite people to sit back and relax, yet they know they can hop up in an instant, ready to go.

As you will see on these pages, Jens Risom is one of the great men of American modern design who made furniture that is unique and timeless.

Find a collection of vintage Jens Risom furniture on 1stDibs that includes lounge chairs, desks, coffee tables and more.