Hans Wegner
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Contents Introduction
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About Hans Wegner
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Inspiration
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Ideation
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Development of Concepts
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Final presentations
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Reflection
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References
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Introduction The aim of this project was to create a piece of furniture that has been made through gaining inspiration of Hans Wegner’s furniture designs. This project a detailed examination of Wegner’s work and understanding in even more in depth the style seen in Wegner’s work. The simple yet elegant Scandinavian style signature is evident throughout the Danish designer’s pieces and as a result they tend to bring tranquillity into a space.
Throughout this project I paid close attention to the way in which each chair design that Wegner executed were quiet diverse yet the one thing that remained common was the use of wood and the beautiful simplicity in each of his work. As a result of this many of the designs that I have created contain a similar basic theme and has been made of wood. Although Wegner used a range of wood types, most of his designs seem to have been made with lighter coloured wood – ranging from beiges to cream colours. I have also taken this part into consideration when making my designs and as a result the furniture I have designed also have lighter colour of wood for material.
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About Hans Wegner Born on the 2nd of April, 1914, Tonder, Denmark, Hans Wegner became one of the most sought after designers in the 20th century. Creating more than 1000 designs throughout his lifetime make him a legend in the field of designers. Many of Wegner’s work can be described as ‘iconic’, ‘timeless’ and ‘free from passing trends’. In his early years Hans Wegner trained to work as a cabinet maker and it was in his teenage years Wegner became the assistance of cabinetmaker H.F. Stahlberg. At the age of 22 Wegner attended the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen and after this period of time Wegner worked as an assistant to Erik Møller and Arne Jacobsen for seven years and helped in designing the Århus Town Hall. Thus, exposing him to the world of design in a way only many could dream of. It was perhaps these influences that later allowed him to become the father of Danish design as he changed the perception of the general public towards furniture design. Throughout his lifetime Wegner accomplished many great things as his fame spread throughout the world. In 1995 he was declared an ‘honorary member of the Royal Danish Academy’ with regards to fine arts. In 1997 he became an honorary doctor in The Royal College of art. Other achievements also included winning the Lunning Prize in 1951 and 8th international Design Award. However it was his Round chair, created in 1949 , that made Danish design famous in the US. After over 50 years of working in the design field Wegner passed away January 26th, 2007, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Inspiration The inspiration for this project was derived from the chairs previously designed by Wegner himself. As a result a lot of the pieces are made of wood and have a very simple elegance. The inspiration for the first Concept derived from the wishbone chair created by Wegner. The slight wave-like patterns of the chair is what I incorporated into my design. I have also incorporated the idea of having cut sections in the back
The second concept had its’ inspiration taken from the shell chair designed by Wegner in the later 1940s to early 1950s. The curved surface is the inspiration I gathered from this piece to create a predominantly wooden coffee table. The addition of glass was for elegance, however I did not want to incorporate too much glass and lose Wegner’s Scandinavian style. The third concept relied on inspiration from the “Conference Chair” made in 1990. Unlike the shell chair it is more angular than curvy so I attempted to make a chair that had an angular back support. I wanted the back support to be the star of the piece because it’s the first part of the chair someone notices upon seeing a particular chair for the first time. My fourth concept was based predominantly upon Wegner’s circle chair made in the 1980s. The shapes created by the criss-crossing lines influenced this chair design. It was quite different with respect to his normal work in the sense that it had a slightly busier look to it. Therefore it was this ‘busy’ feel that I took into account when creating my piece. I also took into consideration the criss-crossing line pattern, however I did not imitate this to a very large extent and only did this with two lines on either side of the coffee table.
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Late 1940s to 1950s
Chairs made by Hans Wegner
1970s
1980s
1990
Early 2000s
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Ideation
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Development Of concepts
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Concept 1
Concept 2
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Concept 3
Concept 4
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Concept 1
Concept 2
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Concept 2
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Concept 3
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Concept 4
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Final Presentations
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Reflection Completing this project required me to gain a better understanding of Hans Wegner and the way in which he executed beautifully simple pieces of work. The way in which he perceived the chair not to be completed until someone had sat on it has taught me the importance of really thinking practicality when designing furniture. Furthermore many also said that his chairs were quite comfortable while having such elegant aesthetics and so as a result it has encouraged me to venture more into learning the ways in which furniture as whole can give a buyer the best experience possible. Additionally it is through his accomplishments and achievements in the design field that I have understood the importance of working with other designers as Wegner did. Especially in his early years he was trained under a well known cabinet maker as well as later when he worked with designers such as Arne Jacbson. There is no doubt that these people in his life helped him make him the well-known designer that he came to be and as a result it has become evident that it is important to have connections in the design field, as well as it is important to take on board the opinions of other designers.
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References: Great Dane Furniture 2016, Hans Wegner, Great Dane Furniture, viewed 02 August 2016, https://greatdanefurniture.com/danish-furniture-designers/hans-wegner Wikipedia 2012, Hans Wegner, Wikipedia, viewed 03 August 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Wegner Facto Design 2016, How Hans Wegner Redesigned the Chair 500 Times, Facto Design, viewed 05 August 2016, http://www.fastcodesign.com/3027815/how-hanswegner-redesigned-the-chair-500-times Dwell 2014, 8 Iconic Chairs by Hans Wegner Dwell, viewed 08 August 2016, http://www.dwell.com/rewind/article/8-iconic-chairs-hans-wegner Carl Hansen 2012, Hans J Wegner, Carl Hansen, viewed 08 August 2016, http://www.carlhansen.com/designers/hans-j-wegner/
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