Christian E. Hansen ‘Canada’ Armchair

A ‘Canada’ armchair from 1940 designed by Christian E. Hansen, the son of acclaimed Danish cabinet maker Fritz Hansen*.

Made by *FH, the chair is constructed from a combination of solid and laminated wood. Specifically, dark stained beech, which has been shaped by carving as well as steam bending. Indeed, it was Christian E. Hansen that championed the experimentation of steam-bending techniques at FH, from the 1900's.

By the 1940s FH were a world leader in moulded and laminate wood furniture. The firm looked to German Functionalism, but their approach was lighter, more fluid, and sought greater practicality regards production.
In this way, the Canada chair epitomises FH’s methodology & Scandinavian design around 1940. Certainly, the design was influential to many subsequent chairs by designers such as Arne Jacobsen and Hans J. Wegner.

A testament to its ingenuity, despite being over 80 years old, the chairs straightforward and honest form means the design is still fresh and inviting. It appears familiar but also surprising, perhaps on account of the shape seeming contemporary but the wood looking antique. Certainly, the design is a triumph as Christian E. Hansen’s chair still not only works in a number of different interiors but enlivens them.

The chair is complimented by a brand-new buttoned cushion upholstered in a vibrant chartreuse-yellow coloured Kvadrat fabric.