CH07 Shell Chair

Overview

The CH07 Shell Chair was created by Hans J. Wegner in 1963. Carl Hansen & Søn describes it as a design that was ahead of its time and waited decades for the spotlight, and it reintroduced the chair in 1998.

Construction

• Seat and backrest: upholstered form-pressed veneer, a wing-like seat and a curved back
• Frame: three arched laminated legs built from several layers of veneer; the two front legs are made from a single element
• Wood: FSC™ Mix-certified oak (oil, white oil or painted) or walnut (oil or lacquer)
• Upholstery: Thor leather (301, 306, 307, 377) or Fiord 171 fabric, or none

Image source: Carl Hansen & Søn — CH07 Shell Chair · © Carl Hansen & Søn and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy

Specifications

• W 92 × D 83 × H 74 cm (35 cm and 48 cm on the drawing are not labelled)
• The product page shows oak, oil, Leather Thor 307 and lists 15 variants

A chair that waited

The manufacturer's text says that when Wegner unveiled the Shell Chair in 1963 many critics loved its avant-garde look, while the general public was reluctant to accept such a distinctive expression. Mixed reviews, together with the less developed production techniques of the 1960s, left it in very limited production.

Back in production in 1998

After Carl Hansen & Søn reintroduced the chair in 1998 it won broad public admiration almost immediately, thanks to the interest of a new generation. Wikipedia's list of Wegner's works dates the chair to 1963 in its table but says in the entry that it was designed in 1960 and made for a short time before being re-released in the 1990s.