Kaare Klint (1888-1954) is considered the founder of the Danish Modern movement. He was famous for his vision unique design and proportions, where materials were the main decorative elements. Today, Carl Hansen & Søn is relaunching Kaare Klint’s 1931 The English Chair and 1938 The Spherical Bed, design icons sought after in auctions around the world. These pieces were made according to the best cabinetmaking techniques by experienced wood craftsmen and apprentices from THE LAB, Carl Hansen & Søn’s training workshop established within the company’s furniture factory in Funen, Denmark. Here, apprentices learn the techniques original woodworking techniques and perform traditional cabinetmaking tasks such as sorting wood from the sawmill, measuring wood with hand-held templates, cutting wood on a traditional band saw, working with a scraper, moulding, paneling, and more. The English Chair and The Spherical Bed are some of the products with the most time-consuming and complex machining in Carl Hansen & Søn.
Knud Erik Hansen, CEO and third-generation owner of Carl Hansen & Søn, said: “Kaare Klint was an innovative architect, and we are fortunate to have his designs in our collection. His works are incredibly complex, which is why most of them do not lend themselves to mass production. But we really want to carry on his legacy; The English Chair and The Spherical Bed are therefore perfect pieces for THE LAB, our training workshop. Here apprentices have the opportunity to explore the work of one of Denmark’s greatest design personalities and train in the art of cabinetmaking traditional, keeping Klint’s legacy alive.”
In 1931, Kaare Klint presented The English Chair at the Cabinetmakers’ Autumn Exhibition in Copenhagen. He was inspired by old English chairs from the 18th century; in fact, he loved to revisit designs to improve them. For The
English Chair, Klint masterfully used wood as a decorative element by inserting it as a material to contrast on the chair legs and in the form of fine inlays on the arms, back, and under the seat. Although the design of The English Chair at first glance appears refined but essential, its complexity of workmanship is very high. The movable cushions are upholstered according to the customer’s requests.
In 1938 Kareen Klint presented The Spherical Bed at the Cabinetmakers’ Autumn Exhibition under the name “A Lady’s Boudoir.” The name was inspired by the geometric spherical shape of its design. Klint designed The Spherical Bed as a single bed with a diameter of 2.3 meters. The space between the headboard,
footboard, and sides follows the shape of an imaginary sphere with rounded edges. Since then, The Spherical Bed symbolises “a brilliant mathematical insight,” as all dimensions are extraordinarily precise as if in the 1930s Klint had 3D programs or other digital aids at his disposal to realise this this design
complexity. Today, for the first time, The Spherical Bed is presented as a double bed, where the high headboard and footboards create a well-defined space in the room. A special detail is the provenance of all the wood used for the frame, which is derived from the same tree trunk and in this way creates a uniform appearance while highlighting the elegant grain on all visible surfaces. The complex design of the bed and its craftsmanship of a high standard take a long time; thus, it takes a month to make a single piece.
