The Storyteller 2022 | Carl Hansen & Søn

THE STORYTELLER

THE SOUND OF DESIGN

A closer look at Vilhelm Lauritzen’s legacy

Featuring

HOME FARM

Inside John Pawson’s Zen-like sanctuary

A CENTURY OF CRAFT

Traditional techniques live on

LIVE BETTER

The benefits of wood on well-being

Every Carl Hansen & Søn design comes with a unique and meaningful story. Whether it originated in the golden age of Danish Design, or is a recent creation from a contemporary talent, that piece of furniture tells the tale of a visionary designer’s determination to unite craftsmanship and innovation in one timeless piece. And, of course, once the piece leaves our factory and finds its way into someone’s home or business, an entirely new story begins.

In the pages that follow, we have gathered a collection of stories connected to the objects that we make. From a closer look at the traditional handcrafted techniques still used to produce our designs today, to a celebration of famed Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen and his work, as well as more topical pieces such as the benefits of wood on our wellbeing, we have selected stories that reflect our century-old commitment to creativity, craftsmanship, and the search for beauty.

Welcome to The Storyteller.

ISSUE N º 4

Introduction 2

The Sound of Design 4

Vilhelm Lauritzen, VLA26 Vega Chair 6

Vilhelm Lauritzen, Foyer Series 10

Case Study: John Pawson, Home Farm 12

An Anchor of Family Values 18

The Craft Shaping the Icons 20

Børge Mogensen, Asserbo Series 24

Frits Henningsen, FH38 Windsor Chair 26

Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm, FK63 Bookcase System 27

A More Sustainable Approach to Design 28

Measuring our Climate Footprint 31

Carl Hansen & Søn Worldwide

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This publication is FSC™ certified and printed in an environmentally friendly printhouse. The publication is printed on Munken Lynx and is produced in Sweden at one of the cleanest production facilities inthe world using only half of the water that other paper factories use. The water is biologically cleaned and is so pure after the first purification, that it can be used as drinking water. The paper mills are FSC™ and PEFC™ certified, and the same goes for the Munken Lynx. The main raw material for paper is wood, which is a renewable resource that takes up and binds CO2 as the forests grow.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, Carl Hansen & Søn is honored to launch unique pieces of furniture by master architect Vilhelm Lauritzen, which have previously only been produced for the renowned Danish cultural institutions for which they were intended.

THE SOUND OF DESIGN

Vilhelm Lauritzen was an internationally renowned architect and a pioneer of Danish functionalism. With the celebration of the 100-year anniversary of Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects in 2022, Carl Hansen & Søn is honored to launch furniture which has previously only been produced for the buildings for which they were intended. Radiohuset and Vega – a renowned Danish cultural institution and a concert hall, respectively – showcase the supreme functionality of Lauritzen’s creations. Today, the Foyer Series and Vega chair have been reintroduced for privates homes as a tribute to Lauritzen’s contribution to Danish furniture design.

Radiohuset

One of Vilhelm Lauritzen’s most famous works is Radiohuset (1945). Today, it is heritage-listed as a total design that was comprehensively conceived from the inside out as Lauritzen produced everything from furniture and door handles to its Modernist typology. The building remains one of the most accomplished examples of Functionalism, where the various functions – such as the foyer, concert hall and offices – are represented in the shape of the building itself. The facade is made of durable sandstone, whereas the interior is rendered in Greenlandic marble, brass and teak hardwood, with a foyer ceiling crafted from cowhide stretched over mineral wool. Today, the corridors are still filled with music from the students of the Royal Danish Academy of Music.

Vega

Vega (1956) was originally created by Vilhelm Lauritzen as a universal meeting place for the labor movement. Reflecting his belief that small details make the biggest difference, Lauritzen designed everything for the building himself, from friezes and chandeliers down to the light fixtures and wall sockets. In 1996, the modernist building was transformed into a concert venue after an extensive restoration and has since then set the tone for Copenhagen’s cultural life.

Vilhelm Lauritzen

1894 - 1984

Vilhelm Theodor Lauritzen was one of Denmark’s most influential architects and a father of Danish Modernism. Today, many of his projects remain as lasting examples of what was then a new and revolutionary approach to architecture in which form followed function. Throughout his career, he maintained that architecture should be an applied art that serves all, not just the privileged few. Among Lauritzen’s most famous and acclaimed works are Copenhagen Airport’s first terminal (1939), which is now known as the Vilhelm Lauritzen Terminal, Radiohuset broadcasting building in Frederiksberg (1945), Vega music venue in Copenhagen (1956), and the Danish Embassy in Washington D.C. (1960).

Vilhelm Lauritzen was born on 10 September, 1894, in the town of Slagelse, Denmark. He graduated high school from Sorø Akademi in 1912 and from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts’ School of Architecture in Copenhagen in 1921. The following year, he founded Tegnestuen Vilhelm Lauritzen (known today as Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects).

Lauritzen’s talents extended to interior design. Over the course of his career, he created everything from door handles, ashtrays and railings to lamps, sofas and chairs.

Vilhelm Lauritzen

VLA26 Vega Chair

Vilhelm Lauritzen created Danish modernist masterpieces in which everything was considered down to the smallest detail – such as the music venue Vega, for which he designed the VLA26 Vega Chair. Previously only found in Vega’s historic concert halls, the Vega chair is now being put into production by Carl Hansen & Søn in partnership with Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects. This stackable chair appears in an elegant mix of steel, wood and textile or leather, with precise upholstery on the seat and back that gives it a slender and refined look. For a more reduced appearance, the chair is also crafted without upholstery to bring the tactile FSC™-certified oak into full focus. Its simple design is elegantly finished with wooden feet.

“The VLA26 Vega Chair is Danish design at its best. It showcases Vilhelm Lauritzen’s signature style – a functionalist design that is almost effortlessly simple, but still with a very clear character. Not only does it has Lauritzen’s uncompromising sense of detail, but the chair is so well-proportioned that it’s simply very comfortable to sit on.”

Møller Sørensen, partner at Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects

Anne

“The Foyer Series is good, simple Danish design expressed in Vilhelm Lauritzen’s unique design vernacular. Together with Carl Hansen & Søn, we have worked to adapt the series to the present while still preserving the original design that makes it timeless. This is furniture that will last you a lifetime.”

Anne Møller Sørensen, partner at Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects

Vilhelm Lauritzen

Foyer Series

Vilhelm Lauritzen designed Copenhagen’s Radiohuset (1945) for national Danish broadcaster Danmarks Radio. Inside the heritage-listed building, Lauritzen custommade all furniture and lighting, including the Foyer Series, designed to adorn the magnificent foyer.

The series – which consists of the VLA77 Foyer Bench, VLA76 Foyer Lounge Chair, and the VLA75 Foyer Sofa – is now available to a wider audience for the first time after a close collaboraiton with Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects. Paying great respect to the original design, the series has been reintroduced in FSC™-certified oak with natural leather upholstery. Each design is characterized by a unique interplay between the oak frame and the upholstered seats and backrests, which almost seem to float. Armrests and legs on both sofa and chair are assembled from three parts and hand-polished with the utmost care to avoid the appearance of noticeable transitions. Despite the series’ delicate silhouette, comfort is still central to the soft seating and backrests of the design.

JOHN PAWSON

HOME FARM

Inside John Pawson’s Zen-like Sanctuary

OXFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM

When acclaimed architectural designer John Pawson decided to renovate a cluster of 17th-century farm buildings in the British countryside, the brief was trickier than usual because he was designing for himself. Renowned for his signature brand of minimalism, Pawson’s Zen-like spaces strip away the superfluous in search of an exacting simplicity. This rural retreat, he decided, would serve not only as a second home, but as a manifesto for his reductionist ethos. Over the course of six years, Pawson applied the ideas gathered during his illustrious career to transform the dilapidated property into a vision of simplicity. Inside, plastered walls, elm floorboards, and exposed stonework and wooden beams create a deeply calming interior that showcases the quiet beauty of natural materials. True to form, Pawson ensured Home Farm remained starkly furnished. Only one piece was permitted in abundance: the CH24 Wishbone Chair by Hans J. Wegner.

“It was a no-brainer,” says Pawson of his decision to include a number of Wishbone Chairs in elm in different rooms throughout Home Farm. In the barn, a monastic kitchen with a vaulted ceiling and full-height window features only a long dining table with six Wishbone Chairs gathered neatly around it. In other corners of the property, it can be found in use as an armchair or sat in front of a desk. “I don’t really like stuff so the less furniture I can have the better,” notes Pawson. “For me, this is definitely the number one chair in history. It’s the absolute definition of minimum.”

“I remember the first time I saw the Wishbone Chair. I was struck by how light and strong it was, by the lyrical clarity of its lines, and how everyone looked good sitting in it. It’s a chair you can’t really improve on.”

John Pawson

“This year marks the 20th anniversary since I started as CEO of Carl Hansen & Søn. During these years, revenue has increased by more than DKK 900 million, we have gone from just 50 employees to approximately 600 employees in Denmark and our production facilities on Funen have grown from 3,000 m2 to 50,000 m2. I am extremely proud of the journey that my employees and I have undertaken.”

Knud Erik Hansen, CEO, Carl Hansen & Søn

THE CRAFT SHAPING THE ICONS

Carl Hansen & Søn’s story began in 1908 when Danish cabinetmaker Carl Hansen opened a small furniture workshop on the Danish island of Funen. Over the years, the success of our family business has depended on two core ideas: an uncompromising commitment to the finest craftsmanship, and alliances with exceptional designers who continually reinvent and refine the concept of modern design. Explore the craft and traditional techniques that make our icons.

Carpentry

Nordic woodworking can be traced back to the Bronze Age. These simple log structures evolved into the Viking’s impressive wooden longships. In the 17th century, Nordic settlers used their expert carpentry skills to build the early European colonies in the US.

Every Carl Hansen & Søn piece is meticulously finished using traditional carpentry techniques that represent the best of Danish furniture-making’s long lineage, from century-old cabinetmaker joinery to woodturning on a lathe. While these techniques serve a purpose, some designers decided to be decorative with them.

Many of Hans J. Wegner’s chairs incorporated an elegant cruciform cover cap on the backrest that provided an ornamental solution to hiding the sight of screws. And Børge Mogensen often chose to accentuate the joints on his pieces in contrasting wood. Even the smallest detail, they proved, could be beautiful.

BRIDLE JOINERY

DOVETAIL JOINERY

Weaving

The designs that Carl Hansen & Søn inherit are produced using the same handcrafted techniques they were first created with. Each technique has evolved as new materials were pioneered, and designers developed their own signature styles.

Weaving has been a cornerstone of Danish craftsmanship for several hundred years. Danish chairs from the 18th century featured seats made from twisted straw and, the following century, rattan became a popular material. During World War II, and in the years that followed, shortages caused designers – like Hans J. Wegner – to search for materials that were more readily available.

The result of this innovation was paper cord, a natural material now closely associated with the Danish Modern period. Beloved for its strength, the paper cord we use today is sourced from sustainable Swedish forests and woven by hand in a variety of styles at the Carl Hansen & Søn factory.

FRENCH WEAVING

ENVELOPE WEAVING

Upholstery

Upholstery plays an integral role in the form and function of furniture. Whether it’s the stitching used along a seam or the tufting selected for a backrest, each practical technique adds to the detailing that defines the personality of a piece.

Our family of designers each developed their own relationship to upholstery. Børge Mogensen and Kaare Klint favored saddle leather on a chair’s seat so that it could be easily tightened as the leather stretched naturally over time. Others focused their attention on ornamental stitching and decorative trims. This skilled work requires patience, discipline, and a deep understanding of materials.

Some of our historic designs, including Hans J. Wegner’s Mama Bear Chair and many of Kaare Klint’s pieces, have specific features that demand areas to be completely hand-stitched. In addition, every one of our upholstered designs is supported by a solid wood frame to provide the best possible foundation.

SLIP STITCHING

PULLED-IN BUTTONING DOUBLE

Asserbo Series

Børge Mogensen’s Asserbo Series is made from solid, dark oiled eucalyptus for a stringent, stylistically consistent design. Both the BM0698 Asserbo Table and the BM0699-700 Asserbo Bench (with or without backrest) feature rounded shapes and visible screws of brushed brass for an informal aesthetic that alludes to the Shaker style.

Mogensen reputedly never designed his furniture based on preconceived artistic ideas. Instead, he approached his design based on what he himself called the ‘workshop’ method to design furniture of high utility value. The Asserbo Series was no exception, as he created it to meet his own need to furnish his holiday home in Asserbo, Denmark.

Børge Mogensen

Børge Mogensen

1914 - 1972

In line with the core concepts of Danish Design, Børge Mogensen’s central ambition was to design simple and functional wooden furniture for private and public spaces. Throughout his life, Mogensen swore by the combination of solid wood (particularly oak, pine, and beech) and leather, and, as a rule, his work avoids unnecessary adornments.

After completing his training as a cabinet maker in 1934, Mogensen studied furniture design at the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. As a student of Kaare Klint, Mogensen was inspired by Klint’s straightforward approach. And while both men believed a successful design should always radiate calmness and functionalism, Mogensen’s work placed considerable emphasis on furniture for informal interior spaces.

Later in life, Børge Mogensen taught design at the Royal Academy and participated in the annual Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild furniture exhibitions. Just before his death in 1972, Mogensen was appointed Honorary Royal Designer for Industry at the Royal Society of Arts in London.

Frits Henningsen

FH38 Windsor Chair

The Windsor Chair was designed by the Danish architect and cabinetmaker Frits Henningsen in 1938. Until 2003, the chair was continuously in production at Carl Hansen & Søn and is now being relaunched with a comfortable seat cushion. Frits Henningsen’s FH38 Windsor Chair is as relevant today as the original English archetype made more than 300 years ago. The chair exposes many artisanal challenges as different carpentry techniques have been used. Making the chair thus requires the skills of an experienced joiner.

All transitions as well as the organic shape on the upper side of the armrest are sanded by hand using what is known as a ‘feel test’. Each chair is therefore unique and thus not only beautiful to look at but also a distinguished example of traditional craftsmanship developed and refined over the centuries.

Frits Henningsen

1889 - 1965

Renowned as an uncompromising designer, Frits Henningsen viewed quality craftsmanship as essential, and unlike most cabinetmakers, always designed his own furniture pieces. As a member of the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers Guild, Henningsen became a major driver of the furniture exhibitions of the period, gaining recognition for his perfectionist style and vibrant personality. He gave new expression to traditional designs and drew inspiration from the French Empire, Rococo, and British 17th-century furniture.

Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm

1915 - 1969

Preben Fabricius trained as a cabinetmaker in 1952 with Niels Vodder, one of the most prominent cabinetmakers of the time. At the age of 19, Jørgen Kastholm returned to Denmark after years in the US to train as a smith in his father’s company, and soon they both decided to continue their studies at the School of Interior Design.

In 1961, Fabricius and Kastholm established their own design studio. Together, they designed furniture in wood, and later also in steel and leather, taking advantage of Jørgen Kastholm’s experience and background as a smith. They drew their inspiration from luminaries of Danish design such as Hans J. Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, but also international names such as Charles and Ray Eames and Mies van der Rohe. The design duo specialized in furniture design and single-family houses, and their designs were characterized by minimalism, sophistication, functionality, quality, and an eye for detail.

Preben Fabricius and Jørgen Kastholm’s designs can be found in museums and design centres around the world, including MoMA in New York and the Louvre Museum in Paris.

& Kastholm

FK63 Bookcase System

Designed for idiosyncratic displays of functional and aesthetic objects, the FK63 Bookcase System transforms rooms with its bold presence. Designed in 1963 by Preben Fabricius and Jørgen Kastholm, the piece is the result of a shared interest in functionally minimalist designs that focus on proportion, handcrafted details, and natural materials. Crafted in FSC™-certified solid oak to accentuate the texture and grain of the wood, it features thoughtful joinery details that include full-width cabinets fitted with brass handles and open shelves with optional sliding trays, both of which are customizable to accommodate growing collections. It is available in wall-mounted and standalone versions, the latter of which rests on a slender powder-coated metal frame. Devised for maximum flexibility, the different modules can be combined in a multitude of ways to suit every space and need, with new modules and sizes joining in May 2022.

Fabricus

A MORE SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO DESIGN

At Carl Hansen & Søn, we believe that one of the best strategies for sustainable living is to make and buy things that endure. We use our craftsmanship expertise and the finest materials to create pieces that last a lifetime. Our hope is that they will not only be enjoyed by their owner but they will be passed down and cherished by future generations, too.

The heart and soul of the business is the factory in Gelsted, on the Danish island of Funen. Inside the Carl Hansen & Søn production facility, you can witness craftsmen and women using age-old techniques alongside machines that utilize the most advanced available technology. While our new machines add valuable precision to the process, our production remains heavily centered around traditional methods, with skilled carpenters assembling and polishing each piece by hand. We currently use nearly every bit of wood we source – and the remaining scraps are repurposed as fuel in a district heating plant that provides warmth to more than 400 local homes in Gelsted, Denmark.

Following the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, we have set a number of ambitious targets. By 2025, we have vowed to use only environmentally certified wood, which would see the manufacture of 350 of our designs in FSC™-certified wood. In addition, all our furniture textiles will be environmentally certified, our leather supplied by fully transparent and sustainable tanneries and our packaging 100% sustainable.

Our commitment extends to education, with an apprenticeship program that trains 30 talented young people on in-house repair and refurbishment services. This ensures that even the most wellloved furniture can be restored and made ready for many more years of enjoyment. We also help to support the lifespan of our pieces with detailed maintenance guides that offer advice on general care and treatment. Ultimately, we are striving to leave nothing behind. Nothing, that is, but our beautiful furniture and the rich legacy of craftsmanship that created it.

The Beauty of Aging

When you invest in a piece from Carl Hansen & Søn, it’s the start of a journey together. Because our finely crafted furniture lasts a lifetime; its appearance will gradually change and evolve as the years pass. Part of the appeal is observing this transition from a brand-new piece to one that has accumulated the elegant markings of age and experience.

Patina is the term used to describe this desirable mellowing appearance. When our furniture is delivered from the factory in Denmark, it is spotless. However, as it is exposed to factors like sunlight and the atmosphere over time, an oxidation occurs on its surface that sees the color of the wood change slightly or the leather accumulate a few spots. This natural process – known as patination – lends an evocative finish that is completely unique to each piece.

For Carl Hansen & Søn’s CEO, Knud Erik Hansen, patina is proof that the furniture is being well-used and well-loved by its owner. It’s a visual testament to the furniture’s strength, durability, and the high quality of its natural materials. He hopes they will be used as they are intended – every day, without any special precautions, as a cherished lifelong companion.

The Benefits of Wood on Well-being

Wood has always been a beloved building material: it’s abundant, easy to access, and environmentally friendly when sourced from responsibly managed forests. But its benefits to our well-being add even more value to its role in our lives. Unlike human-made materials like concrete and plastic, wood has been demonstrated to have a calming effect on people’s emotional and physiological states, causing a drop in blood pressure, lowering the pulse, and reducing negative thoughts and anxiety. Simply touching a wooden surface has a soothing impact, evoking primal feelings of safety with its tactility.

At Carl Hansen & Søn, we craft each piece with the hope that it will improve the lives of those it encounters. Made from a rich variety of locally and internationally sourced woods, our evocative handcrafted wooden furniture adds warmth and welcome to an interior. Much like the trees from which they were first cut, our designs live and breathe, continuing to change as they age into something even more beautiful.

MEASURING OUR CLIMATE FOOTPRINT

At Carl Hansen & Søn, we aim to pass on a sustainable legacy of craftsmanship, one iconic piece at a time. After pledging to reduce our CO2 emission by 25% by 2025, we partnered with Danish environmental consultancy MÅLBAR to measure the climate footprint of our products. Their screening tool provides valuable data about the impact of materials, production methods, packaging, transport, waste, and more. With these insights in mind, we can make more responsible design and production choices.

By 2025, we plan to present climate footprint measures on our entire product assortment. Explore the comparative emission of a CH24 Wishbone Chair in oak soap and natural paper cord below.

NORTH AMERICA

Copenhagen Flagship Store

Bredgade 18 & 21-23 1260 Copenhagen Denmark T. +45 6447 2360 copenhagen@carlhansen.dk

Odense Flagship Store

Flakhaven 1 5000 Odense Danmark T. +45 2478 2720 odense@carlhansen.dk

Gelsted Flagship Store Hylkedamvej 77 5591 Gelsted Denmark T. +45 2947 7580 gelsted@carlhansen.dk

Stockholm Flagship Store

Karlavägen 76 114 59 Stockholm Sweden T. +46 8 25 50 83 stockholm@carlhansen.com

Helsinki Flagship Store

Erottajankatu 19 00130 Helsinki Finland T. +358 10 508 2040 helsinki@carlhansen.com

Paris Flagship Store 53B Quai des Grands Augustins 75006 Paris France T. +33 768 77 62 77 paris@carlhansen.com

Milan Flagship Store

Foro Buonaparte 18/A Angolo Via Arco 4 20121 Milan Italy T. +39 02 89011837 milan@carlhansen.com

Barcelona Flagship Store

Carrer del Rosselló 222, 08008 Barcelona Spain T. +34 931 929 845 barcelona@carlhansen.com

London Showroom

16A Bowling Green Lane London EC1R 0BD United Kingdom T. +44 2076 327587 showroomlondon@carlhansen.com

London Flagship Store 48A Pimlico Road Belgravia London SW1W 8LP United Kingdom T. +44 2077 308454 london@carlhansen.com

Hamburg Flagship Store

ABC-Straße 10, Laden 3-4 20354 Hamburg Germany T. +49 151-25145005 hamburg@carlhansen.com

Munich Flagship Store

Residenzstrasse 22 80333 München Germany T. +49 151-72632208 munich@carlhansen.com

Cologne Showroom

Deutz-Mülheimer Str. 22A 50679 Cologne Germany T. +49 172-5843072 taka@carlhansen.dk

Warsaw Flagship Store

Plac Powstańców Warszawy 9 00-039 Warszawa Poland T. +48 534 933 920 warsaw@carlhansen.com

Amsterdam Flagship Store

Van Baerlestraat 10 1071 AL Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel +31 20 370 8150 amsterdam@carlhansen.com

Tokyo Flagship Store

1F / 2F Aoyama Artworks  2-5-10 Jingumae Shibuya-ku Tokyo, 150-0001 Japan T. +81 3 5413 5421 tokyo@carlhansen.jp

New York Flagship Store

150 Wooster St New York, NY 10012

United States T. +1 212 242 6736 newyork@carlhansen.com

Osaka Flagship Store 1-15-22 Minamihorie Nishi-ku Osaka-City 550-0015 Japan T. +81 6 6606 9026 osaka@carlhansen.jp

New York Showroom

251 Park Avenue South, 13th floor New York, NY 10010

United States T. +1 347 354 0589 showroomny@carlhansen.dk

San Francisco Flagship Store

111 Rhode Island Street, Suite 3 San Francisco, CA 94103 United States T. +1 415 658 7198 sanfrancisco@carlhansen.com