wood

oiled walnut

clear lacquered oak

Finn Juhl

Teenager, Finn Juhl (1912-1989) wanted to become an art historian, having a passion for the fine arts since childhood. His father stopped him and Finn Juhl started architectural studies. Later, when his fame as a designer of furniture acquired, he speaks of himself as an autodidact, in reference to this upset vocation that forced him to walk intellectually on a lonely way. His style owes much to this singular trajectory, with its non academic interpretation of art visible in his work. Finn Juhl started his studies in 1930, a key period which saw the birth of modern design and furniture.

His modern offices in central Copenhagen was greeting his visitors with a huge Japanese fish in paper, symbol of imagination. And rather than addressing the design of a furniture from an functional angle, in the classical manner, Finn Juhl approached his work in the manner of a sculptor, seeking the beauty of the volume and shape, life and expressiveness, an approach that, in the 1940s and 1950s, was then completely new. For Finn Juhl, it was clear that furniture could not be limited to function, but should also express an artistic sensibility.

Chair dimensions W69 x D63 x H80 cm – seat height 44cm

Sofa bench dimensions W125 x D63 x H80 cm – seat height 44cm

Upholstery fabric or leather

Structure walnut or oak + walnut

The 48 Chair is easily recognizable because of Finn Juhl's characteristic and sculptural shapes and delicate details. The chair embrace the seated person while the rounded surfaces are shaped to fit the gravity of the resting body and its proportions. The organically shaped seat and backrest, upholstered in fabric or leather, are raised from the carrying frame in an almost demonstrative manner. Visually this lifts the seated person, making it appear as if the law of gravity has been defeated.

Additionally, the 48 Series is characterized by the use of multiple materials. Today, it is rare to see furniture that employs two different types of wood. This type of contrast has been left almost entirely to Finn Juhl despite the many years that have passed. The 48 chair is available in oak with armrests and toes in teak and a version entirely in walnut. The chair is upholstered with either fabric or leather.