Slip into the lobby of almost any design-forward hotel and chances are you’ll find a stackable Series 7 chair or an Egg in leather, silently advertising Danish refinement.
Both pieces emerged from the workshops of Fritz Hansen, the company founded in 1872 by a journeyman cabinetmaker who believed industrial technique could still honour craft. That tension – machine efficiency versus hand-finished warmth – has defined the brand for more than 150 years.
From Local Joinery to International Icon
Fritz Hansen began by supplying wood-turned furniture to Copenhagen’s city hall, but true expansion arrived once the firm embraced steam-bending. By the 1930s, second-generation leader Christian E. Hansen was courting modernist architects hungry for new forms.
His willingness to mass-produce yet maintain quality echoed a Bauhaus maxim: “art into industry,” where form follows function and ornament is stripped away . The result was a catalogue that balanced sober craftsmanship with scalable production – crucial for post-war export success.
Egg, Swan, Series 7: the Golden Age of Collaboration
Mid-century Denmark was a crucible of talent, and Fritz Hansen captured its brightest sparks. Arne Jacobsen delivered the Ant (1952), the curvaceous Series 7 (1955) and, for the SAS Royal Hotel, the now-mythic Egg and Swan (1958).
Later came Poul Kjærholm’s steel-framed PK series, each piece numbered like limited-edition sculpture. These designs share DNA with earlier European icons – the Windsor’s honest joinery, for instance, prized longevity over frills, yet updated it in plywood, foam and chrome.
Craft Meets Industry: Innovations that Shaped Danish Modern
Where other manufacturers glued veneer to bulky frames, Fritz Hansen perfected thin, pressure-moulded shells that flexed yet survived contract wear. The Series 7’s nine-layer beech core weighed under four kilos but endured airport traffic.
The company also pioneered cold-foam upholstery, allowing Jacobsen’s Egg to cradle sitters without heavy springs. These breakthroughs paralleled global movements: Bauhaus rationalism, American Eames experimentation, yet retained a distinctly Danish intimacy.
Copenhagen Airport Pier C, featuring Fritz Hansen Series 7™ chairs and Dot™ stools. © Fritz Hansen
Collectors prize patina and provenance: a chair traced to Jacobsen’s SAS Hotel lounge commands a premium, much as an 18th-century Windsor with documented estate roots outperforms later copies. Condition matters – re-upholstery can dent value unless completed by certified Danish workshops.
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Conclusion: Timeless Curves, Modern Markets
From steam-bent church pews to space-age lounge chairs, Fritz Hansen proves that industrial technique needn’t sacrifice soul. Its pieces embody Danish modernism’s core promise: functional grace that improves daily life.
Fritz Hansen recap
Fritz Hansen founded his company in Copenhagen in 1872 as a carpentry workshop.
The company was known for its quality furniture and produced pieces for major Danish institutions like the Parliament and the University Library.
The introduction of steam-bent wood in 1915 marked a significant step towards modern furniture design.
Whether you seek an attainable lacquered Series 7 or a museum-grade Egg, Auctionet’s platform connects you to a century-and-a-half of design evolution — ready to sit, admire and, yes, appreciate in more ways than one.
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