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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Kai Kristiansen

Kai Kristiansen
Kai Kristiansen (1929- ) trained at Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakaemi in Copenhagen and completed his apprenticeship in 1948. Two years later he was accepted into the Academy of Fine arts and worked as a journeyman cabinetmaker under Kaare Klint until 1950.

In 1955 he opened his own studio and had designed for such well known manufacturers as Kjærsgaard, Fritz Hansen, Tarm og Feldballe. He is best known for his clean-lined teak and rosewood pieces, especially the #42 chair and his wall units.

From the mid-1950s till the 1970s, Kristiansen was the driving force behind a regional furniture exhibition, as well as the Scandinavian Furniture Fair.

From onlinegalleries.com and greatdanefurniture.com


Compact dresser
bydesignmodern.1stdibs.com

Hydraulic bar (closed)
styleforum.com

Hydraulic bar (raised)
styleforum.com

Dining chairs
bondandbowery.com
Kidney-shaped desk
luca-inc.com

Model 121 lounge chair
deconet.com

Three seater sofa
cargo27.com

Rosewood sideboard
almondhartzog.com

#42 chair
angelucci.net.au

Wall unit
silicathree.bondandbowery.com

22 comments:

  1. Thanks for the post - I have four chairs that I got relatively inexpensively several years ago... but now I know they are #42s... I fell in love with them the moment I saw them - the best artwork in my dining room!

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    1. How lucky you are to have four #42 chairs! I bet your dining room is spectacular.

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  2. I love every single piece of his designs, especially that desk. I wonder how much it goes for when it comes up for sale? Thanks again for the bio of another great designer.

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    1. I'd guess that the desk would sell somewhere in the range of $3000-5000, depending on the location. I saw it online being wholesaled out of Denmark for $1770.

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    2. Hello, I see this is an older post. I own the kidney shaped desk and am willing to part with it now I near my retirement. It's a life of travel from now on. Please contact me at lauriturner@gmail.com with any interest.

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  3. That desk to is to die for. I'd love to put that and the wall unit in my little office.

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    1. We took a great CADO wall unit to the refinisher today that I think you'll love.

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  4. I can't choose my favorite, they're all fantastic! Thanks for sharing this.

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  5. Clean and simple will always be in style.

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    1. You're right. As I've said before, no amount of ornamentation can be as elegant as simplicity.

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  6. It just looks so sophisticated. It makes me never want to go furniture shopping in a mega furniture store again.

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    1. I've totally sworn off going to furniture stores. There are so many great vintage pieces out there that are better made and more beautiful than what's sold today that there's really no need to ever darken the door of a furniture store again.

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  7. That's an awesome kidney desk. You can't go wrong with furniture that mimic body parts. ( :

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    1. haha Now my mind is running wild with visuals of all sorts of body part-shaped furniture.

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  8. A few years back I was obsessed with that desk, but wasn't able to find any for sale. I had no idea who designed it till I read your post. I'm not really in the market for a desk anymore, but if I ever saw one in person, I think I'd still have to pick it up. It's that fantastic.

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    1. That desk would be worth making a spot for! I'm glad you could ID it from my post.

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  9. OMG! I have this desk. I picked it up over 10 years ago at a thrift store. The finish is gorgeous in person. There are two shelves in the front and above the tambour door is a circular drawer that you can pull out. Behind the tambour door is a lazy susan with a shelf. Ironically I didn't use it for years while I had a desktop computer because I didn't have enough room. Now with a laptop, I am back using it again. Love it!

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    1. Lucky you! I'm afraid to ask how little you paid for it at a thrift store, because I know I'd be jealous! :)

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    2. I don't remember exactly but I am sure it was under $150. Thanks for your blog - I love mid-century modern.

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  10. I just purchased 3 Danish looking chairs at an online auction for $66. Turns out they are Kai Christiansen teak, ladder back dining arm chairs, and one Hans Wenger rope seat chair. Now I wish I could find the right market for them. They're beautiful!

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    1. Where are you located, and how much are you asking for them?

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