Ahh…Finn Juhl just doen’t get enough love like, say, Arne Jacobsen or Jans Wagner, or Verner Panton for that matter. I must admit, not even I was that familiar with Juhl. But my interest in his work was piqued after reading about the Finn Juhl Revival in the winter issue of Modernism Magazine. Apparently, the Danes had not shown as much interest in his work as had the international community even though he was one of a handful of designers who created Danish Modern design and there has only recently been a revived interest in his work. Anywho, I’d been wanting to talk about him for some time and now I get to! Yay!!!
So anyway, Finn Juhl (Denmark, 1912-’89) was a Danish architect, interior and furniture designer, and like his peers Wagner, Panton, Jacobsen and Borge Morgensen, helped introduce a lucrative and well-respected era in Danish modernism. Like several other Danish designers, Juhl created a lot of wooden furniture pieces, but because he was influenced by the biomorphism (to put glibly, nonrepresentational represenations of living organisms…heh) of Joan Miro, his pieces have a softer lines and more organic shapes. He also worked in teak and other darker woods, where his peers worked in oak.
Two of his most famous pieces include The Pelikan Chair, 1940, and the Chieftain Chair, 1949. Fun fact: Chieftain Chair gets its moniker because Danish King Frederick IX, modeled in the display chair when the design was unveiled at the 1949 Cabinetmaker’s Guild.
pelikan chair; image via onecollection.com
chieftain chair; image via denmark house (picasa)
As great as these chairs are, I really love the sensuality of his sofas, The Poet’s Sofa, 1940, and his various 2-Seater Sofas.
poet's sofa, image via onecollection.com
poet's sofa; image via decor8 (flickr)
The Baker Sofa, designed in 1951, is similarly chic, and organic in shape. Its wool-upholstered body is separated into two parts to create the look and feeling of lightness.
baker sofa
He also designed teak bowls in 1950, which were produced by Kay Bojesen. However, these teak bowls are pretty rare and are going to cost you a pretty penny when you buy a few for me yourself, when you find some on 1stdibs.com. (Good luck, they’re expensive even on eBay!)
image via danishteakclassics.com
image via taschen.com
Say Hi…
juhl, maxin and relaxin, like a chieftain in a chieftain; image via kaufmann-mercantile.com
- Finn Juhl
For more information on Finn Juhl, and how freaking prolific the man was, visit onecollection.com.
Tags: danish modernism, finn juhl, mid-century modern furniture
