Like many of the architects who defined Scandinavian modernism, Vilhelm Lauritzen preferred to design every part of his buildings, right down to the door knobs, mirrors, light fittings and furniture. This idea of ‘gesamtkunstwerk’ (or total work of art) was fully expressed in two of his most famous projects in Copenhagen: the Radiohuset broadcasting building and Vega cultural centre. Now, thanks to a partnership with Carl Hansen & Søn, the furniture that Lauritzen created for those spaces is available to buy for the first time.
Vilhelm Lauritzen Studio was founded in 1922 and to mark the centenary, the firm’s current custodians decided to explore their founder’s archive of more than a thousand designs, selecting a few that were ripe for a respectful reinterpretation. They settled on a chair from the Vega building and a bench, sofa and lounge chair that were originally made for the Radiohuset. They needed the best craftsmen in Denmark to realise their plans, so Carl Hansen & Søn was the natural choice.
Rebooting the original designs presented some challenges. Some of the vintage prototypes differed from Lauritzen’s drawings while others couldn’t be traced at all. People are taller today and the way we use furniture has changed too – we’re less upright, more prone to lounging. The architects and furniture designers had to tweak proportions and materials to make the pieces fit for modern life, using 3D renderings and virtual reality until they captured the essence of the designs and nailed the functionality. So a sofa leg was tapered, a chair arm widened to feel comfortable in the hand, a seat back adjusted to a more casual angle. It took two years, from initial plans to production, for the project to come to life.
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The ‘Foyer’ series originally sat in the marble and leather-lined lobby of the Radiohuset, which was built during World War II when Denmark was under occupation. Lauritzen vowed the Nazis would never use the space for propaganda, so deliberately slowed down construction, completing the project in 1945. In every part of the building, which is now home to the Royal Danish Academy of Music, form follows function. Walls are clad in Oregon pine to improve acoustics, while ceilings trace the curve of the seating in the concert hall above.
All the designers had to go on were black and white photos and a reupholstered version of the bench discovered in a basement. The new pieces are made from oak and upholstered in annaline leather or wool. Buttons have been added to the bench, which is designed so that it doesn’t have to sit against a wall. Distinctively Danish in line and materiality, the neat proportions of the couch make it perfect for a small house or hallway, with room for three to sit comfortably.
Lauritzen made the ‘VLA26 Vega’ chair for the Vega building, which was completed in 1956 and today is one of the most famous concert venues in Europe (although it narrowly escaped being demolished and replaced with a supermarket in the 1990s). Folding and stacking chairs can be found throughout the spaces and Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects decided to focus on the stackable version. They borrowed some from Vega and found drawings in the archive, basing the new iteration on a combination of both. It’s a simple chair, with a black powder-coated steel frame and bentwood back and seat. Available in different finishes and with or without a seat pad, the chair can be taken apart easily to replace parts. Details include recycled nylon pads under the seat to prevent scratching when the chairs are stacked and small wooden feet which are as charming as they are practical.
Just as Lauritzen’s airports and concert halls were revolutionary for their time and hugely influential, the same can be said for his furniture. At every scale, his designs focus on function and dispense with superfluous ornamentation. Both Lauritzen’s buildings and the furniture he created to live within them were intended for the people, because of his profound belief that good design should be accessible to everyone. That’s why they still feel fresh and relevant today.
The collection is made in the Carl Hansen & Søn factory on the island of Funen, a couple of hour’s drive from Copenhagen. Here, in airy workshops, skilled carpenters polish chair legs, carefully checking for faults, while other craftspeople rhythmically weave seats. Apprentices learn traditional techniques as well as how to use modern technology for furniture making, while another section is dedicated to restoring vintage furniture – a service that’s in high demand as families look to preserve cherished heirlooms for future generations.
The principles driving both firms are the same: a belief in design’s power to improve the lives of all people and in the beauty of unadorned materials. As radical and beautiful as when they were first produced, the new pieces are firmly rooted in their past, but fit for the future. carlhansen.com; vilhelmlauritzen.com
