Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen 1748 Armchair

A vintage Model 1748 lounge chair made by Danish cabinet maker Fritz Hansen in the late 1940s.

This classic and compact armchair was designed by Denmark’s most prolific design duo, Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen.

Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen started out by designing furniture independently but joined forces in 1944 after winning a design competition in Stockholm.

Both gentlemen were highly skilled. Mølgaard-Nielsen studied furniture design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under Kaare Klint, while Hvidt achieved knowledge of traditional craftspersonship studying cabinetry at the School of Arts & Crafts, Copenhagen.

Their work, like this model 1748 chair, is characterised by its simplicity of form, achieved by precise lines.
To emphasise the chairs many masterfully subtle yet sophisticated planes and fluidity the chair has been upholstered in striped fabric. Specifically, Fermoie’s York Stripe, a hand drawn painted textile inspired by a 19th century narrow weave.

Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen designed countless pieces of furniture together, many of which became exemplars of the era, and inspired numerous others to reiterate their designs. Their work was not only stylish but related to a forward-thinking approach to industrialised production -towards more affordable yet crafted home furnishings.

As case in point is the Model 1748, this chair could be considered the prototypical mid-century modern tub or cocktail chair. A version of this sleekly silhouetted armchair was created in almost every European country in the 1950s.

However, without doubt, the Model 1748 is the original. No subsequent iteration, vintage or new, has the same level of comfort, balanced proportions, or overall brilliance of form.

Immediately available as a pair for £4500, or separately at £2500 each.