Poul Kjærholm, prolific Danish furniture designer, is arguably best known for his work in steel. Bending sheets and rods into compound forms, he would use these shapes in a variety of applications across his career. In his earlier years, bent ply was a fascination for him, warping planes that once were completely flat into expressions of life. The PK23™ Lounge Chair by Fritz Hansen takes on this quality, a wide, double-seated piece, seemingly floating above the ground on elegant metal legs, consistent with his style at the time. Having completed the design in sketch form in 1954 at age 25, this is a beautiful example of his early work as a designer.
Fritz Hansen consulted with the Kjærholm family to bring PK23™ to life, a testament to the bond between designer and producer. This was an opportunity for Kjærholm’s children to represent a different side of their father’s work. There is a distinct vibrancy in the expressiveness of the piece, with signature details that tell this is indeed an original. “The radical design of making a shell, cutting it in half and then twisting it, so that it holds you, is very much in the Poul Kjærholm idiom. Also showing everything, not hiding the structure behind upholstery or foam, and the way it is held together with the metal bracket,” says son Thomas Kjærholm. “The chair is like a sculpture, I have a very early drawing from behind where he drew a red circle that is either the sun or the moon.” This grounds us within the context of the piece, the early vestiges of which formed over 70 years ago. Now, this idea comes to life, bringing a sense of history to a modern production from Fritz Hansen.
“Steel’s constructive potential is not the only thing that interests me; the refraction of light on its surface is an important part of my artistic work. I consider steel a material with the same artistic merit as wood and leather,” said the designer. Indeed, materiality was very important to Kjærholm, highly invested in the ergonomics and use scenarios of every piece released. All hardware need not be hidden away, displaying the intricacies of how the piece is constructed. With nothing to hide, the genius fell within the use of bent ply, an incredibly innovative material at the time. Lightness was paramount, a natural response to the heavy, wrought furniture of decades past. These designs were considered, elevating interiors regardless of status – reminding us that bigger is not always better.
The PK23™ Lounge Chair’s laminated veneer shells are available in three options: black-painted ash veneer, walnut veneer, or oak veneer. The double bracket connector adds a design detail by joining the backrest together in an elegant manner. Additional choices are available for the chair’s base, which comes in stainless steel or black powder-coated steel.
To learn more about the PK23™ Lounge Chair by Poul Kjærholm, visit fritzhansen.com.
