Fritz Hansen 1872

In 1910s, Fritz Hansen was the only Danish company producing steam-bent wood chairs. The impact of this production method for the company - and of Christian E. Hansen’s pursuit of it - cannot be overstated. It was Hansen’s visionary approach that brought about some of the most important production changes of the era. The steam-bent and laminate wood furniture was defining for Fritz Hansen, and would be essential for its most important collaborations.

Christian E. Hansen played a key role in the evolution of Fritz Hansen’s furniture production. By pursuing the industrial potential of his father’s craftsmanship legacy, he gained commissions from important contemporary buildings. Perhaps most importantly, he drove the company forward, using new methods and materials. This approach would reap rich rewards in the years to come.

Both reputation and business grew, and in 1887 the premises grew too small. So Fritz Hansen bought a house in Copenhagen’s Christianshavn neighbourhood. With the added space there was also more room for his talent to flourish.

Fritz Hansen was known to be quick yet thorough in his work, but he was also innovative. For instance he redesigned the Victorian curved sofa on a thin steel frame, inspired by ladies’ crinolines. He made mirror frames and used a special woodturning method for staircase balusters, chairs, and sofa legs. His furniture grew very popular, and people from abroad travelled to Denmark to buy from Fritz Hansen.

By 1898, Fritz Hansen & Co had grown to 50 staff, and Christian E. Hansen, Fritz Hansen’s son, suggested moving part of the production out of town. A large plot was bought in the small town of Allerød, next to a forest and close to the railway. It was a perfect location considering that Fritz Hansen once again had big plans that included opening his own lumber mill. The company is still located in Allerød to this day.

While business continued to grow, Fritz Hansen’s health began to fail him. Shortly before the end of the century, he turned the company over to Christian, who was then 25 years old – just as his father had been when he had started out.

Frits Schlegel also designed steel furniture for Fritz Hansen. At the Den Permanente exhibition in Copenhagen, he presented an easy chair in steel and beech to an audience that included the Danish Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Minister of Trade, as well as key players of the Danish design and manufacturing industry. In the press, the wood and steel design was called ‘a sensation’, with Fritz Hansen credited as introducing this method of furniture production to Denmark.

In the 1930s, Fritz Hansen first collaborated with architect Arne Jacobsen, including on Jacobsen’s expansive Bellevue and Bellavista project in Klampenborg, Denmark. Continuing their strong collaborations, Søren and Poul Hansen worked with designers such as Hans J. Wegner, Børge Mogensen, Ole Wanscher, Peder Moos, and Kay Fisker through the 1940s.

During the Second World War, a lamination technique was developed for British Mosquito airplanes. Fritz Hansen instantly saw the technique’s enormous potential in furniture. The company began working with laminated veneers, a technique that allowed wood to be thinly cut, then glued together in layers. In 1950, Fritz Hansen used this technique to produce the AX Series with architects Hvidt & Mølgaard. They introduced a knockdown version of the series, which marked the beginning of Fritz Hansen’s successful export business. The veneer technique used for the AX Series then played a key role in Fritz Hansen’s ability to produce iconic designs as Arne Jacobsen’s Ant™ and Series 7™ chairs.

The success of Arne Jacobsen’s furniture in the 1950s led to unprecedented success for the company. To this day, Jacobsen’s work remains a core part of Fritz Hansen’s identity. Søren and Poul forward-thinking partnerships and use of innovative materials such as steel and lamination ensured that Fritz Hansen entered the second half of the 20th century stronger than ever.

In 1915, Fritz Hansen produced the first Danish chair using the technique, making them the sole Danish company to do so. The quality of production was so high, in fact, that Thonet-Mundus granted Fritz Hansen exclusive rights to produce the German-Czech’s company’s designs for the Scandinavian market. By the 1930s, Fritz Hansen’s technique was so refined that the company was among the world leaders in the field. This later evolved into the Fritz Hansen’s speciality: laminated wood furniture.

Around 1930, the first Danish-designed chairs in steam-bent beech wood, called the DAN Chair, were brought to market. Although clearly inspired by the work of Thonet, the chairs were distinctly Scandinavian with cleaner lines and a lighter, more functional expression.

Steam-bending wood is an economical and ecological production technique with a rich heritage. As it doesn’t rely on adhesives to bond wood pieces together, there by increasing the speed of manufacturing. Material wastage is also minimised as the wood can be precisely cut, removing the need for complex joints or other forms typically made from more expensive stocks of wood.

Christian E. Hansen’s pursuit of the steam-bending technique was game changing; not only for Fritz Hansen, but for the furniture industry at-large. The DAN Chair remains a highly important link in furniture production innovation, and for Danish design.