Bodil Kjaer

Background

Bodil Kjær is introduced by Cassina as a professor and architect MAA (Member of the Association of Academic Architects in Denmark), born in Denmark in 1932. Her education took place in Denmark, England and the USA, and she ran her own architecture, design and planning offices in Copenhagen and London.

Signature Style

According to Cassina, her work on public interiors from 1955 to 1963 led her to create a series of architectural elements answering functional and aesthetic problems. These pieces of furniture, lamps and glass were not designed directly for production.

Notable Works

• Office Desk, today produced by Karakter
• Serving Cart, listed by Cassina among her products
• Cassina also lists the Principal chair, stool and bar and counter chair, the Cross and the Skyscraper

Legacy

As other architects discovered the pieces and wanted them for their buildings, they were put into production and marketed in the USA as well as in Europe. Cassina notes that some are still available, mostly at auctions, and that the Office Desk appears in three early Bond movies and in recent British films and television series. She has returned to Denmark, on the east coast of Jutland, where she continues to teach, research and take part in the development of Aarhus.