Frits Henningsen

Background

Frits Henningsen (1889-1965) was a Danish cabinetmaker and furniture designer. He finished his cabinetmaker apprenticeship under I.P. Mørck in 1911, worked in Germany, France and Great Britain, and returned to Copenhagen in 1915, where he opened his own furniture shop. Wikipedia describes his workshop as having a team of cabinetmakers in central Copenhagen, and says he designed his own products.

Signature Style

Carl Hansen & Søn says he drew on French Empire, rococo and 17th-century British furniture, and that his style moved from historically inspired work to simpler, timeless pieces. Wikipedia notes that he favoured curves and says that in 1942 he distanced himself from younger designers who used straight lines.

Notable Works

• Heritage Chair (FH419), dated 1930 by Carl Hansen & Søn
• Windsor Chair (FH38), designed in 1938
• Signature Chair (FH429), his last design, dated 1954 on Carl Hansen & Søn's product page and 1952 by Dezeen

Legacy

Carl Hansen & Søn produced the Windsor Chair until 2003 and has since reissued it, and reintroduced the Signature Chair in 2015 after fewer than twenty had been made.