Best known for his chairs and other seating pieces — though a master of many furniture types like sofas and tables — Hans Wegner was a prolific designer whose elegant, often ebullient, forms and devotion to the finest methods in joinery made "Danish Modern" a popular byword for stylish, well-made furniture in the mid-20th century.
Wegner considered himself a carpenter first and a furniture designer second. Like his peers Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl, Wegner believed that striking aesthetics in furniture were based on a foundation of practicality: a chair must be comfortable and sturdy before it is chic.
In keeping with that tenet, several of Hans Wegner’s best chair designs have their roots in traditional seating forms. The Peacock chair (designed in 1947) is a throne-like adaptation of the Windsor chair; pieces from the China chair series (begun in 1944) as well as the 1949 Wishbone chair, with its distinctive Y-shaped back splat, are derived from 17th-century Ming seating pieces, as is the upholstered Ox chair (1960). Wegner’s comfy Papa Bear chair (1951) is an almost surreally re-scaled English wingback chair.
Wegner’s most representative piece, the Round chair (1949), gained a footnote in political history when it was used on the TV stage of the first Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960. That chair, along with Wegner’s more bravura designs — for example, the 1963 Shell chair, with its curved surfboard-shaped seat — bring a quietly sculptural presence to a room.
Wegner was a designer who revered his primary material — wood — and it shows. His wood gathers patina and character with age; every Hans Wegner piece testifies to the life it has led.
Find vintage Hans Wegner lounge chairs, armchairs, daybeds and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
$7,567
H 71.5 in W 70.8 in D 20.5 in
Hans Wegner for Ry Mobler Large Teak Credenza with Hutch Danish Vintage 1960s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This impressive two-piece unit features a spacious six-drawer base beneath a sleek hutch with smooth sliding doors. The architectural profile offers highly versatile display and hidd...
Teak
$3,360Sale Price|30% Off
H 70.5 in W 71 in D 19.5 in
Mid Century Danish Teak Hans Wegner for Ry Mobler Floating Hutch
Located in Esperance, NY
For sale is this excellent vintage cabinet / hutch made by Hans Wegner for Ry Mobler
Teak
$6,014
H 70.87 in W 70.87 in D 19.69 in
1950s Vintage Danish Teak Sideboard RY20 by Hans J. Wegner for Ry Møbler
By Ry Møbler, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Wesseling, DE
The RY20 highboard, designed by Hans J. Wegner in the early 1950s for Ry Møbler, is a refined example of Danish modern storage design. The upper cabinet is fitted with sliding doors ...
Teak
$4,066Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.73 in W 63 in D 16.74 in
Mid Century Danish Teak Credenza with Shelving and Storage Drawer Denmark Design
By Henry Rosengren Hansen, Arne Vodder, Gunni Omann
Located in Basel, BS
Fantastic, minimalist Original Danish Teak Mid Century Credenza piece that is just the perfect size for a Dining room, living room for a TV, or a bedroom. This piece works everywhere...
Teak
$17,000
H 31 in W 51.38 in D 18 in
Hans J Wegner Cabinet in Teak, Johannes Hansen Cabinetmaker, c. 1960
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Fine and rare sideboard designed by Hans Wegner and built by eminent Danish cabinetmaker, Johannes Hansen. A pair of doors with integrated pulls conceals two adjustable shelves to th...
Teak
Sold|$6,800
H 61 in W 83 in D 20.25 in
Vintage Bernhard Pedersen & Son Danish Teak Wood Credenza Sideboard with Hutch
By Bernhard Pedersen & Son
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
A vintage 1960s Bernhard Pedersen & Son credenza sideboard with hutch top. This is a stunning vintage Danish cabinet in wonderful vintage condition. This piece is a gorgeous example ...
Teak
$16,500
H 69.75 in W 65.75 in D 19.75 in
Rare Mid-century Danish Solid Teak Cabinet by Peter Hvidt, 1955
By Peter Hvidt
Located in Oakland, CA
This beautifully crafted solid teak cabinet, designed by Peter Hvidt in 1955, showcases exceptional craftsmanship and refined joinery—including expo...
Glass, Teak
$4,800Sale Price|20% Off
H 68 in W 72 in D 18 in
Beautiful Mid Century Danish Modern Teak 2 tier Credenza Sideboard Cabinet
By Hans J. Wegner, Arne Vodder
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Beautiful Mid Century Danish Modern Teak 2 tier Credenza Sideboard Cabinet. Top section features three sliding doors with concave circle pulls revealing 5 drawers on the left and adj...
Birch, Teak
$6,500 / set
H 57.75 in W 79 in D 19.75 in
Danish Modern Teak Tambour-Door Credenza & Hutch by Peter Løvig Nielsen, 1966
By Peter Løvig Nielsen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Elegant credenza designed and manufactured by Peter Løvig Nielsen in Denmark, dated 1965. Featuring a teak wood construction with seamless tambour doors adorned with subtle aluminum-...
Metal
$6,000
H 32 in W 88 in D 20 in
Mid Century Rare multifunctional Danish Modern teak Long Credenza by Erik Wørts
By Erik Wørts, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rare multifunctional Danish Modern teak Credenza with drawers by Erik Wørts. This Credenza is Multifunctional with 2 pull out drawers Record storage lower drawers. Designed 1960s by ...
Birch, Teak
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
If anyone is brave, humble and adept enough to recolor these mid-century masterpieces, it’s Ilse Crawford. Here, she gives us the details on her five earthy paint choices and tells us how she feels about design collaborations.
