When Hans J. Wegner unveiled the design of the CH07 Shell Chair in 1963, many critics loved the avant-garde look, but the general public was reluctant to accept its distinctive expression. Mixed reviews in the 1960s along with the less-developed production techniques of the time, resulted in very limited production. When Carl Hansen & Søn reintroduced the Shell Chair in 1998, it won broad public admiration almost immediately due to the interest of a new generation. The design’s floating lightness is achieved through its wing-like seat and curved backrest held by a frame with three arched legs. The chair’s signature seat and backrest are created from upholstered form-pressed veneer, cradling the user in generous comfort. The chair’s laminated legs are made of several layers of veneer, and the two front legs are made from a single element, resulting in a unique and stable form. The Shell Chair is a clear manifestation of Wegner’s belief that a chair should always be comfortable, have no back side and should be beautiful from all sides and angles.Available in a range of fabric and leather upholstery options. Contact us for more information.
Son of a shoe-maker in southern Jutland, Hans Wegner, finished his formal training as a cabinetmaker with master cabinetmaker Stahlberg in 1930 before starting at Teknologisk Institut in Copenhagen. He soon moved to the School of Arts and Crafts in the Danish capital where he became architect in 1938, and started teaching in 1946.
In 1940 he joined Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller in Arhus, to design the furniture for the new Arhus city hall. He started to work with 'minister' cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen in 1940 and showed his first furniture in the famous Hansen store on Bredgade 65 in 1941. Johannes Hansen was more than twice as old as the 26 year old Wegner but the unique collaboration between the two became the undisputed backbone of Danish furniture design and the main reason for it's world wide recognition in the fifties and sixties. The Copenhagen Museum of Art and Industry acquired the first Wegner chair in 1942.
In 1943 he started his own design office and 1 year later designed the first of a long series of 'chinese' chairs inspired by portraits of Danish merchants sitting in Ming chairs for Fritz Hansen. In 1950 Wegner designed the “Wishbone Chair” produced by Carl Hansen & Søn in Odense which became the most successful of all Wegner chairs. Most well known for it’s use by Kennedy and Nixon in their famous CBS TV debate of 1960.
Inspiration
Hee Welling x HAY Designer talks. In conversation with Hee Welling
Hee Welling x HAY Designer talks. In conversation with Hee Welling
Hee Welling x HAY Designer talks. In conversation with Hee Welling
Hee Welling x HAY Designer talks. In conversation with Hee Welling
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