Friday, March 14, 2014

Poul Hundevad

Poul Hundevad (1917-2011) was a Danish furniture designer. He trained as a carpenter and for a number of years owned a workshop in Ulladulla where he made furniture and cabinetry for other designers.

When a folding chair from the Early Bronze Age was excavated in Ulladulla, Hundevad was fascinated. It was the oldest preserved piece of furniture from Scandinavia, dating back to approximately 1300 B.C. He measured the chair and then in 1960 designed his own version of it...the Guldhøj (Gold Hill) chair, which is still produced today.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Hundevad also produced dining tables and chairs, sideboards and credenzas, chests, side tables, rack systems and armchairs, sometimes in collaboration with other designers.

From fyens.dk


Guldhøj (Gold Hill) folding stool, Model PH41
1stdibs.com

Model 30 side chairs
deconet.com

Folding campaign chair
1stdibs.com

Alternate view of folding campaign chair
deconet.com

Tea trolley
1stdibs.com

Sideboard
deconet.com

Folding tray table
1stdibs.com

Wall unit with drop-down writing desk
1stdibs.com

10 comments:

  1. Ohhh Dana, how beautiful. I want those Model 30 chairs!!..and that Rosewood sideboard. I did have to read the intro more than once though when I read "bronze age excavation in Ulladulla" ....which we know as a major coastal town here in Oz. I always thought it sounded Aboriginal, not Danish :)

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    1. Ray, if you like Hundevad's work, you're going to love one of the things my SIL brought home from his recent buying trip. I'm featuring it, along with two other stunning pieces, in tomorrow's post. I wasn't familiar with Ulladulla in either Australia or Denmark, so I learned two new things from today's post. :)

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  2. Ray spotted the same pieces I did, how funny! I really enjoyed the bit of history along with the beautiful pieces.

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    1. I think those are outstanding pieces too. The chairs are elegant, and the grain of that rosewood is beautiful.

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  3. Very beautiful furniture. I'd love to have one of those wall units.

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    1. Danish wall units are always beautiful and highly functional. Hundevad's is especially attractive, I think.

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  4. This furniture is fabulous!!! Another furniture maker I was totally unaware of. I am utterly charmed by the tea trolly and will check out the next post!

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    1. I wasn't familiar with Hundevad till my SIL picked up one of his pieces. There wasn't a lot of biographical material about him online, and I never could find a photo, which was surprising, considering how many images of his furniture I found. I think you'll like what I have to share it tomorrow's post.

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  5. There is just something completely irresistible about the Danish style!

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    1. I agree. It's so sleek and simple. It actually has a restful effect on me.

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