DANISH ARCHITECT AND FURNITURE DESIGNER · 1912–1989
Finn Juhl
Finn Juhl is the most artistic of the Danish furniture designers. His chairs look like sculptures in which the seat floats free of the frame, and they need an upholsterer who understands that the form is the whole point.
The architect who broke with Klint
Finn Juhl qualified as an architect from the Royal Academy in 1934 and designed his first furniture for himself. Where Kaare Klint’s school was built on proportion and tradition, Juhl drew inspiration from modern art. Seat and back were detached from the frame, and the wood was shaped so it looked as if it had grown that way.
Master cabinetmaker Niels Vodder made his chairs for the Cabinetmakers’ Guild exhibitions from 1937, and after the war the collaboration with the American manufacturer Baker Furniture made him known in the United States. Juhl also designed the UN Trusteeship Council Chamber in New York in 1952.
Upholstery as part of the form
Juhl’s chairs are upholstered in soft, organic shapes, often in two colours, so that seat and back stand free of the frame. The cover must be sewn to follow the curves of the foam, and the frame must be checked because the joints are delicate.
Today the furniture is produced by House of Finn Juhl, but many originals by Niels Vodder, France & Søn and Bovirke still exist in Danish homes. They are worth keeping, and they are worth reupholstering properly.