Last month I traveled to Denmark to visit the Carl Hansen & Søn factory in Gelsted, Denmark. Throughout the years, the brand has had a strong focus on preserving Danish design classics to gather the best, most iconic modern furniture designs under one roof.

What makes their iconic furniture pieces truly unique is the craftsmanship with which they are created. Each piece of furniture requires hours of handcraft before it leaves the factory.

The factory is one of the most modern furniture production facilities in Northern Europe, with a focus on craftsmanship and sustainability. It has 550 employees and the level of skills that go into the production of the furniture pieces is something I was so impressed by.

During my visit, I was able to take a closer look at the production process of the CH24 Wishbone chair, a true Danish Design icon made by Hans J. Wegner in 1950 and still today one of the most recognizable chair designs out there.

The Apprentice workshop: forming the Future of Craftsmanship

Since quality craftsmanship is the foundation of Carl Hansen & Søn, training more cabinet makers and craftsmen is of the utmost importance to the brand. With the brand’s apprentice workshop, they can meet growing demands and preserve the craftsmanship in Denmark.

The apprenticeship training takes almost 4 years, combining periods in the apprentice workshop, at technical college, and in production. Their first project is a toolbox for their woodworking tools, which is made with a handsaw and traditional supplies. They learn to make different kinds of joints, such as finger and dovetail joints, sanding methods, cut-outs, weaving, and many more machine and hand skills.

The apprentices also learn how to make fixtures for internal use, and how to restore vintage furniture and create commissioned pieces. The combination of these tasks provides them with a versatile skill set.

The apprentices are trained to work with projects that they have to manage from start to finish. They thereby gain an in-depth understanding of the possibilities and challenges of the cabinetmaking trade.

FSC-certified wood: the most important Source Material

Almost the entire collection of Danish design classics is manufactured in the Gelsted factory, except the outdoor collection, which is produced in the Carl Hansen & Søn factory in Vietnam.

The sawmills that provide the source material for the factory have long-lasting relationships with the brand and some supply the factory with the best quality wood since the 1950s. Only the best quality from the inner parts of the trunks are used and all the wood is FSC-certified.

The brand calculates how much wood will be needed for the next year and sawmills from different locations supply the raw materials. Oak wood is typically sourced within the EU, Beechwood within Denmark, and walnut from the US.

The production process of the Wishbone chair

I have talked about the CH24 Wishbone chair designed by Hans J. Wegner and its place inside many modern and classic interiors before and it was such a treat to be able to take a peek behind the scenes and see how they craft their iconic design pieces.

The CH24 wishbone chair has the iconic Y-shaped back and a woven paper cord seat, which has become a famous design icon that has been in continuous production ever since it was brought onto the market in 1950.

The paper cord seat alone takes a skilled craftsman 1 hour to complete and that’s only the last step in the production process to create this truly iconic piece.

Production and sanding of the pieces

The iconic form of the chair involves the production of 14 different parts, including a steam-bent top and the paper cord seat. Each of the parts is sanded during the manufacturing process and inspected thoroughly by skilled craftsmen.

We were able to try out sanding the authentic wishbone chair parts and it is so much more difficult than it looks.

Assembly of the Wishbone Chair or Y-chair

After sanding down the pieces, they are assembled the traditional way using only glue and no screws. Some of the chairs from the Carl Hansen & Søn collection take 20 minutes to assemble, and some take 5 hours, depending on the complexity.

The skilled craftsman uses a variety of different tools to assemble the Wishbone chair and at the end, the CH24 chair is placed underneath blue light to check for any glue residue, as this will show as a dark spot after oiling.

Each chair is stamped with an employee number so that on the rare occasion a chair comes back to the factory with a mistake, the same employee can fix the piece and learn from their mistake.

Applying the paper cord seat

The last step of the production of the Wishbone chairs, after oiling or painting, is the weaving of the iconic natural paper cord seat. 150m of paper cord goes into the seat of one chair and it takes about 1 hour to weave the Wishbone chair, while other more complex pieces like the Faaborg Chair might take up to 1,5 days to complete.

To avoid having to pull through 150m of chord every time, each of the paper chord pieces is 7m long and a knot is tied that can be hidden and will never loosen.

Carl Hansen & Søns commitment to sustainability

Apart from sourcing wood from responsibly managed forests and the fact that their iconic pieces are made to last a lifetime, the factory reuses wastewater in the factory and makes sure every bit of wood is reused in some way.

Smaller wood pieces left after manufacturing the furniture pieces are made into an accessory line specially designed for this purpose, but even the smallest wood shavings don’t get discarded.

The brand repurposes the little scrap that remains as fuel in a district heating plant that provides warmth to more than 400 local homes in Gelsted.

Ad – I was invited on a press trip by Carl Hansen & Søn

Wondering what’s new and noteworthy in the interior world? I have made a summary of all novelties I figured are worth sharing in this post, which will be updated as more new collections trickle in after the numerous fairs that are coming up in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

Vipp Lodge lounge chair in white sheepskin

The Vipp Lodge lounge chair, previously released in their collection is now available in an off-white colorway. The clam-shaped shell of the chair floats onto the dark solid oak wood legs in a seamlessly organic way and the new sheepskin finish softly embraces the body.

The Lodge series consists of a dining chair, lounge chair, and footstool and was originally designed for the Vipp lodge, one of the hotel concepts of the brand (you can see two other of their hotel concepts here and here).

Superfront introduces Japandi inspired Takami shelf collection

You might know Superfront for their custom cabinet front solutions to update different models of Ikea modular cabinets. Now they also introduced their own line of shelving systems called Takami, which is inspired by Japanese artisanal design tradition and a “less is more” approach to design. The shelf comes in different sizes and colorways and matches a collection of furniture legs in the same aesthetic.

Nuura releases Sasi: a collection of wall lamps

The Sasi wall lamps by the hand of Dutch designer Rick Tegelaar for Nuura feature a soft design language and a material selection that creates reflections of the surroundings and light in the room.

New Works releases the Kizu portable lamp in 2 two red marble variants

The Kizu lamp made its way into many homes over the past years and became a staple piece in many Scandinavian interiors. After releasing a portable version of the lamp last year, New Works is now expanding the collection with two red marble variants: Breccia Pernice marble brings to mind the earthy hues of the Mediterranean and Rosso Levanto marble, which oozes dark romance.

101 Copenhagen expands its collection of organic interior pieces

Among smaller accessory releases, Danish design brand 101 Copenhagen introduced two new furniture pieces to their sculptural collection of elements for the modern interior.

The Toe lounge chair

‘Toe’ is a lounge chair with references to futuristic design pieces from the seventies. The sculptural approach that is so characteristic of the brand is showcased in the design aesthetic of this comfortable chair with tick-fluted upholstery with a linear and voluminous shape.

The Tribu collection

Tribu is a collection containing a bench and stool made of a concrete base combined with a linen cushion top characterized by lamellas in the concrete giving the pieces a distinct look that plays with the contrast between clean lines and soft curves.

Watt & Veke introduces a new collection of pendants and table lamps

You might know Watt & Veke from their paper Christmas star collection (featured in this Christmas styling in my home), however, they also make regular lighting fixtures that are subtle in design, yet impactful in any interior. They recently expanded this collection of understated fixtures and a few of these pieces are high on my wish list.

Menu space reintroduces Mogens Lassen’s Jäger Lounge Table

For the design of the Jäger table in 1941, Mogens Lassen took inspiration from the folding stools and beds found in an Egyptian tomb. The design was a proposal for a commission for the personal home of a merchant called Jäger, however, it was never put into production. Now Menu introduced this rediscovered archival design in their collection after researching the original sketches and making sure the table meets modern durability needs.

Muuto releases the Couple coffee table

Belgian designer Sylvain Willenz created the Couple table, recently released into the latest collection of Danish design brand Muuto. The Couple table is inspired by traditional tile tables and features both wood and ceramic stoneware tiles in a new and modern interpretation of this traditional furniture piece.

The design allows the user to pick between tiles with a smooth surface or a soft wavy look, which results in a personalized, tactile coffee table design.

Ikea teams up with designer Sabine Marceli for the design of the Varmblixt collection

Rotterdam-based designer Sabine Marceli created a collection of accessories and light fixtures for Ikea called Varmblixt which highlights the necessary functionality of light, yet also the opportunity it creates to change the mood and atmosphere of a space.

I love blue tones in my interior. A pop of blue can have such a fresh and cool effect amongst warm tints of beige and wood tones, which is a combination I go for time and time again when I redecorate. Blue tints are especially well suited for spring and since we usually want to give our home a fresh touch after removing all the Christmas decorations, it’s a great color palette to try out.

H&M homeware just released a whole collection of textiles and accessories in tints of blue, have a look.

In this living room setting the chequered pillows in light blue and beige* really stand out on the darker blue sofa. The structured wool rug* lightens up the dark concrete flooring and the blue glass vase* and bowl* add a fresh spot to add flowers.

For those of you who like subtle blue accents, the collection includes a light blue table lamp*, a wavy light blue shelf*, and my personal favorite: those simple sky blue candle holders*.

For the bedroom, the blue Muslin bedsheets* are such an eye-catcher, especially when combined with this cobalt blue blanket* and the beige textiles on the bed.

Rolf Fehlbaum, Chairman of Vitra once acquired a vintage Antony chair designed by Jean Prouvé in the 1980s, which marks the beginning of the most extensive collection of furniture and objects by the designer, all housed in the Vitra design museum.

Apart from the Jean Prouvé designs in the Vitra design museum, Vitra made an agreement with the Prouvé family to set up the Prouvé furniture production. The collaboration started in 2000 and took place in close conversation with Catherine Prouvé, Jean Prouvé’s youngest daughter.

Over the past 20 years, Prouvé’s designs have become true icons far extending the borders of France that are timeless and exist beyond trends.

Jean Prouvé designs and the importance of color

Jean Prouvé designs are recognizable for their attention to detail, joints, proportions, overall construction, and the processing and execution of the materials themselves with the color being the final touch to the design.

According to Jean Prouvé, only the parts of the furniture that are in danger of corroding should be painted, to allow the nature of the material to shine. That’s why he left wooden and aluminum elements used in furniture production in an untreated state whenever possible.

Jean Prouvé did develop a beautiful range of colors for his architecture because beyond the practical application of colors to protect from corrosion, he knew he could use colors to create a certain aura around his furniture designs.

Vitra is now expanding the original colors (deep black, Japanese red, and Blanc Colombe) with 4 new colors and an unpainted steel variant in which the Jean Prouvé designs can be produced.

Prouvé Bleu Marcoule

Marcoule bleu refers to an important client who ordered a great range of furniture from Ateliers Jean Prouvé and this blue used to be part of the corporate identity of Marcoule at the time. Below you can see the Fauteuil Direction Pivotant desk chair combined with the Compas direction desk both in Bleu Marcoule.

Prouvé Bleu Dynastie

Dynasty blue is inspired by the cobalt oxide in the blue and white porcelain from Ming dynasty times. In the picture below, you can see the Fauteuil de Salon in the new color Bleu Dynastie shot in Jean Prouvé’s personal home in Nancy with the iconic metal doors visible in the picture.

Prouvé Blé Vert

Blé vert (or green wheat) refers to the fresh color of young green wheat just before it turns yellow and is ready to be harvested. Below you can see the famous Standard chair in Blé Vert.

Prouvé Gris Vermeer

Vermeer grey refers to the famous Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (Vermeer grey) who when taking a closer look at his paintings, used a lot of grey undertones from which Jean Prouvé took inspiration. Below you can see the Cité armchair in the new color Gris Vermeer shot in one of the prefabricated houses Prouvé designed.

British designer Faye Toogood is probably most known for her Roly-Poly furniture pieces, which have made their way into a range of renowned interior projects and private homes. Her work includes furniture design, clothing, and since recently also homewares. Her minimal and sculptural objects are bold, yet fit in with so many different styles

Dough ceramics is the most recent addition to the Faye Toogood portfolio of unique and groundbreaking designs. The ceramic series consists of a mug, jug, bowl, platter, vase, and centerpiece, which are all handmade and inspired by the shape or rising dough.

A ceramics series to seamlessly go on the Roly-Poly dining table

The new collection of dough ceramics was created around the Roly-Poly aesthetic Faye Toogood is most known for. The ceramics series were to be used on the Roly-Poly table seamlessly and the designs were created to go hand in hand with the products in that range, hence the oversized, plump, and bulging look of the products.

The Dough mug, my new Faye Toogood favorite

For the design of the Dough mug, the British designer wanted to give additional attention to the details in the simple ritual of having a cup of tea. The forms and curves on this cup are what make it work so nicely. The Dough mug set is my personal favorite from the collection and so on brand with the beautiful Faye Toogood designer aesthetic.

Crafted at Toogood Studio in London and glazed in Portugal

The ceramic pieces in the collection come in cream or charcoal and have a very simple design aesthetic without details or decoration, which is unnecessary with such bold shapes. The glaze has a soft sheen and looks as if it were painted. The ceramics themselves are crafted in the Toogood studio in London, whereas the glazing process is done by artisans in Portugal. A beautiful collaboration between talented makers.