To celebrate Hans J. Wegner’s legacy and more than 70 years of collaboration, Carl Hansen & Son has partnered up with the London-based designer, Ilse Crawford, to develop a new colour palette for a limited-edition release of the first chairs that Wegner created for Carl Hansen & Son in 1950.
The First Masterpieces collection includes five of Hans J. Wegner’s iconic chair designs. Among these are the CH24, also known as the Wishbone Chair, and the woven CH25 lounge chair, which have been in production at Carl Hansen & Son for more than 70 years.
Ilse Crawford has dressed the collection in five earthy shades that give a fresh perspective to the collection. The environmentally friendly, water-based colors all have a slightly transparent finish, which allows the chair’s original oak wood grain to shine through, creating a nuanced sense of color and texture.
“We wanted to develop a set of colors that reflects the times we live in, and we believe these subdued and muted tones will resonate with a contemporary audience,” said Crawford. “We were inspired by the paintings of the late Danish artist, Per Kirkeby, whose interest in nature and geology was brilliantly manifested in his work. These are not easy, trend-driven or standard decorative colors, but ones that add depth and complexity to any interior.”
The muddy, painterly tones nod to the raw beauty of the Nordic landscape and they are intended to work both as a group and independently. “Colour is so closely tied to our emotions, to our mood,” said Crawford, “And we think these subtle tones will contribute to the creation of a warm, relaxed and natural environment.”
Carl Hansen & Son has also introduced the MG501 Cuba Chair by Morten Gøttler. The chair is presented in a new variant with the seat and back in paper cord, giving the Cuba Chair an even lighter and more refined expression. This folding lounge chair is ideal as an extra or permanent fixture, as its light and foldable frame can easily be hung on a wall or placed on a floor stand for convenient storage. Meanwhile, the chair has all the elegance of a sculpture with its natural materials, clean cotton webbing and evident craftsmanship. In short, it beautifully embodies the concept of complex simplicity.
