Hans J. Wegner was born in 1914 in Tønder, Denmark, the son of a shoemaker. At the age of 17, he finished his apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker with H. F. Stahlberg, in whose workshops Wegner’s first design experiments took form. He moved to Copenhagen as a 20 year-old, and attended the School of Arts and Crafts from 1936 – 1938 before he began working as an architect.

As a young architect, Wegner joined Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller in Århus, working on furniture design for the new Århus city hall in 1940. It was during the same year that Wegner began collaborating with master cabinetmaker, Johannes Hansen, who was a driving force in bringing new furniture design to the Danish public.

The Copenhagen Museum of Art and Industry acquired its first Wegner chair in 1942.

Wegner started his own design office in 1943. It was in 1944 that he designed the first “Chinese chair” in a series of new chairs that were inspired by portraits of Danish merchants sitting in Ming chairs. One of these chairs, the “Wishbone Chair”, designed in 1949 and produced by Carl Hansen & Son in Odense since 1950, became the most successful of all Wegner chairs.

Among Danish furniture designers, Hans J. Wegner is considered one of the most creative and productive. He has received practically every major recognition given to designers, including the Lunning prize, the grand prix of the Milan Triennale, Sweden’s Prince Eugen medal and the Danish Eckersberg medal. Wegner is an honorary Royal designer for industry of the Royal Society of Arts in London. Almost all of the world’s major design museums – from The Museum of Modern Art in New York to Die Neue Sammlung in Munich – include his furniture in their collections.

Hans J. Wegner died in Denmark in January, 2007.

Hans J. Wegner’s contribution to Danish Modern:

- First a cabinetmaker, then a designer: integrates exacting joinery techniques and exquisite form.

- A deep respect for wood and its characteristics – and an abiding curiosity about other natural materials

- Brings an organic, natural softness to formalistic minimalism

- Generally regarded as ”the master of the chair”, with more than 400 chair designs to his name

Hans J. Wegner

Sif 98

Sif 95

Sif 93

Sif 92

Sif 91

Sif 90

Sif is a full grain, uncoated pure aniline ox hide. Only the very finest hides are chosen. The tanning and dying processes are one and the same. No final pigmentation or coating are applied, so slight variations within hides and between hides may occur. Sif has the most exclusive touch and the highest breathability. It has the most natural surface structure which is whey scars or other marks may be visible. Be aware that the light or vegetal colours will age with patina and grace – however, they are also very susceptible to stains. The darker colours will fade somewhat if exposed to sunlight for a longer period of time. We recommend this type of leather for those who want the very best comfort and quality, and who love the graceful ageing of the very best leather.

Sif leather – price group C

Thor 399

Thor 398

Thor 390

Thor 377

Thor 359

Thor 350

Thor 332

Thor 325

Thor 310

Thor 307

Thor 306

Thor 301

Thor 300

Thor is a semi-aniline ox hide with a natural grain and a coated surface. More uniform hides are chosen for this type of leather. It has a largely uniform surface structure with some visible scars or other marks. After aniline dying, a pigmentation coat is added to give perfect colour uniformity. Finally, a top coating is added to give the leather a protective layer. This type of leather has a good touch and low breathability. The advantages of Thor are that it requires low-maintenance and resists most stains and fading from sunlight. We recommend this type of leather for homeowners who want a good balance between maintenance and comfort. Thor is available in many colours.

Thor leather – price group B

Loke 7766

Loke 7763

Loke 7748

Loke 7744

Loke 7732

Loke 7310

Loke 7270

Loke 7240

Loke 7210

Loke 7170

Loke 7160

Loke 7150

Loke 7140

Loke 7110

Loke 7100

Loke 7060

Loke 7050

The Loke leather is a buffed, embossed ox hide with a coated surface. Hides used for this type of leather are sanded to uniform thickness and then embossed to achieve a uniform surface without visible scares or other marks. Finally, a top coating is added to give the leather a protective layer. This type of leather has a pleasant surface with low breathability. The advantages of Loke are that is requires low-maintenance and resists most stains and fading from sunlight. We recommend this type of leather for homeowners who want easy maintenance at the lowest possible cost as well as for restaurants, hotels, public spaces etc. Loke is available in many colours.

Loke leather – price group A

fabrics price group 4

colour 821

colour 180

colour 531

colour 120

colour 170

colour 581

> Divina Melange 2 100% wool / 5% nylon – Durability: 45.000 Martindale

colour 191

fabrics price group 3

colour 821

colour 151

colour 981

colour 171

colour 591

colour 551

> Fiord 92% wool / 8% nylon – Durability: 60.000 Martindale

colour 170

colour 122

colour 116

colour 114

> Molly 2 100% wool – Durability: 75.000 Martindale

colour 180

colour 173

colour 227

colour 600

colour 116

colour 457

colour 130

colour 694

colour 944

colour 126

colour 750

fabrics price group 2

> Hallingdal 65 70% wool / 30% viscose – Durability: 100.000 Martindale

colour 4001

colour 4601

colour 5201

colour 5501

> Capture fabric 85% new wool (worsted) / 15% polyamide – Durability: 200.000 Martindale

colour 2101

colour 6101

colour 3103

colour 2103

> Mood fabric 92% wool / 8% polyamid – Durability: 90.000 Martindale

colour 974

colour 794

colour 746

colour 734

colour 566

colour 124

colour 244

> Canvas 2 fabric 90% new wool (worsted) / 10% nylon – Durability: 100.000 Martindale

colour 144

colour 793

colour 188

colour 983

> Clara 2 fabric 92% wool / 8% nylon – Durability: 80.000 Martindale

colour 123

colour 173

colour 823

colour 443

colour 682

colour 923

colour 133

colour 163

> Remix 2 fabric 90% wool / 10% nylon – Durability: 100.000 Martindale

colour 612

colour 182

colour 452

colour 782

colour 912

colour 552

colour 512

colour 952

colour 992

fabrics price group 1

> Forest Nap fabric 95% new wool (worsted) / 5% nylon – Durability: 50.000 Martindale

> colour painted beech

woods and finishes

black painted beech

(smooth)

black painted oak

(wood grain visible)

smoked oak

soaped beech

clear lacquered beech

oiled beech

clear lacquered oak

oiled oak

white oiled oak

soaped oak

To know more about the woods, their finishes and care instructions, please visit th is page.

To mark the 100th anniversary of Hans J. Wegner, Carl Hansen & Søn has launched the CH88 chair – a 1955 design that has, to date, existed only as a project. A CH88 prototype was unveiled for the first time at the international H55 Exhibition in Helsingborg, organized by the Swedish Design Association, Föreningen Svensk Form. Here, Hans J. Wegner exhibited his furniture alongside other designers such as Alvar Aalto.