To create simple, functional, beautiful wooden furniture, affordable by all: this sums up the message of Børge Mogensen (1914-1972), the Danish design master, to whom the two brands Carl Hansen & Søn and Fredericia now pay homage to mark the 50th anniversary of his death, reissuing some of his iconic pieces.
Known as the ‘people’s designer,’ Mogensen graduated in 1941 at the furniture school of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, helmed by Kaare Klint, considered the father of Danish design. Mogensen was Klint’s best student, and he expanded the latter’s idea of rigorous, functional and sustainable design with a democratic spirit: design that had to be affordable for all, while making human beings its central focus.
Carl Hansen & Søn presents the Asserbo collection designed by Mogensen in 1961 for his vacation home in the town of the same name: a table and a bench, originally made in pine, now offered in dark oiled eucalyptus, for greater strength, with soft grain, a reddish-brown color and few knots. The wood comes from sustainable rapid-growth forests, and the furnishings are made with visible brushed brass bolts. The bench comes with a fixed back or is placed against the wall, with cushions covered in leather or fabric. The collection will be on sale starting in November.
“Børge Mogensen aimed at design that made people its first priority, and could last for generations. The Asserbo series is a perfect example,” says Knud Erik Hansen, CEO of Carl Hansen & Søn. “The sturdy image makes it ideal for private residences and vacation homes, but also for restaurants and public spaces.”
The Danish brand Fredericia Furniture, a family business founded in 1911, celebrates another one of Mogensen’s creations, the J39 chair. Designed in 1936 by Kaare Klint, considered the foremost pioneer of Danish design, for the Bethlehem Church in Copenhagen, the model was revised in 1947 by Mogensen to make it more comfortable.
Normally made in oak and beech with a seat in natural paper cord woven by hand, for the 75th anniversary Fredericia also offers the model with a sedge grass seat like the original, using materials cultivated by certified Chinese sources.
