Carl Hansen & Søn

That sensation can happen with a person, an animal or even an object. In fact, that immediate familiarity is portrayed by the new version of Poul Kjærholm’s PK1 Chair by the third-generation family-run Danish business, Carl Hansen & Søn. That is because the timelessness of what stands as the first chair design by Kjærholm is rooted in a sense of welcoming ease. It might be the first time you lay your eyes on the chair, but its softness and tastefulness are elegantly inviting.

There are two different stories to tell here. The first story starts in 1929, the year in which one of the biggest names in Danish furniture design was born. Poul Kjaerholm trained as a cabinetmaker and later studied furniture design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, graduating in 1952. During his short but concentrated career as a furniture designer, he created his own language through his objects.

His idiom was strict, modern, clear and functional, but it was also born from the pure freedom given to the materials implemented, adding that vital touch of softness and comfort that minimalist designs tend to miss. He became revolutionary for his use of modernist steel, leather and glass furniture, and, moreover, in the post-war years he searched for new ways of uniting tradition and innovation, even through industrialization.

Let’s put this story on pause. In parallel, years before even Poul Kjærholm was born, in 1908, the Danish cabinetmaker Carl Hansen opened a small furniture workshop. More than a century later, after several generations kept it running through the years and after overcoming some of the most difficult situations in life, Carl Hansen & Søn is stronger than ever. This successful evolution is due not only to its collaboration with the designer Hans J. Wegner, but also due to the intimate feeling that the brand has to it. A familiarity that, accentuated by the intricate craftsmanship, is almost seductive.

Going back to Kjaerholm, he designed the PK1 back in 1955. Now, this is where the stories unite. Carl Hansen Søn has brought the chair back to life, reissuing the original design made of steel and wicker, this time in steel and certified paper cord. Respecting the initial version’s lightness and stackability, the Danish brand has opted for this natural and durable material that ages beautifully with time. The use of the paper cord also provides the brand’s distinctive touch since it is a material that Carl Hansen & Son has a long tradition of working with.

Once again, innovation and tradition make a perfect match. A match that takes a skilled craftsman a full 15 hours and 180 meters of cord to hand weave the all-in-one seat and back on the PK1. That intricacy and detail are essentially what endow the chair with its elegance. A unique technique developed specially for the PK1, and that serves as an homage to Kjærholm’s original work with wicker.

This unrepeated version of the modernist designer’s first chair is truly inspired by every detail from the PK1, as well as Poul Kjærholm’s mentality and style. This is ensured because, as the third-generation owner-manager of Carl Hansen & Son Knud Erik Hansen stated, this launch has been thought out in close cooperation with the Kjærholm family: “While the PK1 Chair in paper cord features something new it oozes familiarity”. In relation to the technique applied, he expressed: “we have developed a new weaving technique that brings together the best of both Poul Kjærholm and Carl Hansen & Son”.

Referring to the designer, he didn’t fail to highlight his utmost admiration for him: “Kjærholm’s unique ability to combine function and aesthetics in a light and elegant way makes him a natural member of our designer family, and we’re very proud to have his first chair design as well as his rigorous Professor Desk in our collection”. Familiarity to the core, elegance to the tip.