Throughout 2022, Danish design company Fritz Hansen is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a series of exhibitions around the world and special design releases. Here we spotlight the first FH 150 Exhibition which took place at the historic Kudan House in Tokyo last week.

Last week from 25 - 29 April, Danish design brand Fritz Hansen took over the historic Kudan House in Tokyo's Chiyoda district to celebrate its 150th anniversary with a special exhibition. 

Exhibition visitors learned about the history of Fritz Hansen, beginning with Arne Jacobson’s architectural designs, all the way up to the company’s latest collection. The exhibition was curated to showcase the Fritz Hansen brand in harmony with the timeless Kudan House, where visitors including press, VIP, A&D, partners and public visitors, could experience Fritz Hansen's history of 150 years and beyond.

Throughout 2022, Danish design company Fritz Hansen is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a series of exhibitions around the world and special design releases. The first FH 150 Exhibition took place last week at the historic Kudan House in Tokyo.

The Kudan House, which was built in 1927, is the former residence of wealthy businessman Mankichi Yamaguchi and is revered for its fascinating combination of Japanese and Spanish architecture.

 It is one of the most rare and unique architectural sites in Tokyo, being one of the earliest designs built with reinforced concrete which was a direct influence of the Great Earthquake in 1923.

 Kudan House survived World War II while most of city was severely damaged. Even now, in spite of development in Tokyo, Kudan House had remained a private residence in the heart of Tokyo until the large-scale repair which was completed in 2018.

Exhibition visitors learned about the history of Fritz Hansen, beginning with Arne Jacobson’s architectural designs, all the way up to the company’s latest collection. 

Fritz Hansen took over the full premises at Kudan House to showcase its FH 150 Exhibition in a variety of unique rooms, including a traditional western style lounge, Spanish style hall, Japanese rooms, corridors with natural light, former dance hall, terrace and even in the garden.

The exhibition explored several key themes in Fritz Hansen’s history, including a tribute to Arne Jacobsen and the SAS Royal Hotel’s Room 606, and Poul Kjaerholm collection showcase in Japanese room. Various archival material was also showcased to tell the Fritz Hansen 150 year story, such as timelines, imagery and plans of early workshops and designs, films, exhibition books and more.

New Fritz Hansen releases were also previewed, including the PK0 A, PK60 and 150 Anniversary Collection. These new products will officially launch globally at 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen in late June, and we look forward to sharing more at this time.

New Fritz Hansen releases were also previewed, including the PK0 A, PK60 and 150 Anniversary Collection. These new products will officially launch globally at 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen in late June 2022. 

The exhibition also provided an opportunity for Fritz Hansen to celebrate its recent acquisition of Skagerak; another leading Danish furniture company recognised for its B-Corp certification and sustainable initiatives. Several designs from the Skagerak outdoor collection were showcased in the garden and on the rooftop terrace.

All 3,000+ reservation slots for the FH 150 Exhibition at Kudan House were fully booked, and an extra open-house event received 200+ visitors with a long queue outside the house.

Happy 150th anniversary to Fritz Hansen from all of us at Cult in New Zealand! 

The exhibition provided an opportunity for Fritz Hansen to celebrate its recent acquisition of Skagerak, with several designs from the Skagerak outdoor collection showcased in the garden and on the rooftop terrace.