To mark the 100th anniversary of Hans J. Wegner’s birth, Danish furniture maker PP Møbler presented a selection of historic chairs designed by Wegner in the mid-20th century. These design classics helped define an era, and several rarely produced models were brought back to life for the occasion.
Classic chairs from the mid-20th century
"If only you could design just one good chair in your life… But you simply cannot," Hans J. Wegner said in 1952. He went on to create more than 500 chair designs. The restored classics were presented earlier in the year during Milan Design Week at the MC Selvini showroom, and they were scheduled for a French presentation during Paris Design Week, from 6 to 13 September, at the Silvera showroom in Paris. These pieces remain milestones in modern furniture design.
The Wegner exhibition could also be seen at Designmuseum Danmark in Copenhagen.
Classic designer chairs by Hans J. Wegner
Internationally known and still highly influential, Wegner’s 1949 chair PP501, known as "The Chair," was produced here in a limited edition: 100 examples in oak and 100 in ash. With its woven seat and solid wood frame, the chair remains popular in the United States. Its fame grew after John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon sat in versions of the chair during the first televised U.S. presidential debate in 1960, an appearance that helped introduce Danish modern seating to a wider audience. "The Chair" has inspired designers around the world.
Woven seat
Solid wood chair "The Chair"
Modern swivel chair with leather headrest
The yellow upholstered Peacock chair is a version of Wegner’s classic 1947 PP550 Peacock Chair, a variation that had not previously gone into production. The reinterpretation keeps the spirit of the original design while adding fabric upholstery and black leather on the headrest and armrests.
Yellow upholstered Peacock chair
The wooden legs are available in oak or walnut with soap, oil, or lacquer finishes. The upholstery uses natural materials such as linen, cotton, jute webbing, palm leaves, and horsehair.
The Tub Chair with black upholstered seat
Designed in 1954, the PP530 Tub Chair pushes the shell chair into a more sculptural and technically refined form. Made with molded plywood, upholstery, solid wood, and a metal adjustment mechanism, the once-futuristic concept could finally be produced with modern technology. Its back adjusts to three positions.
White Tub Chair – ash or oak, lacquered or oiled
Hammock chair
The swivel chair PP502
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