Stunning Sideboard

This sideboard was designed in 1959 by Arne Vodder, hard to believe, possibly one of the most outstanding sideboards I have ever had the priviledge to find.
I purchased this sideboard over 12 months ago, and it has taken me this long to decide to have it restored for sale. The door colours were matched as close to the original as possible, and had to be re-done numerous times before I was happy with the colours.
The combination of palisander (Brazilian rosewood), steel and colour is one of modern design, and would not be thought of as over 50 years old; and is a perfect example of how far ahead of their time designers such as Vodder were.
Vodder clearly had a wonderful flair for colour and balance and produced some outstanding works. If you by chance read a previous blog, I had a chest of drawers by Vodder that had the same distinctive handles as this sideboard, I sometimes wish I had kept the chest as I have only ever seen it once before.
Details of the sideboard.

Designer: Arne Vodder 1926-
Producer: Sibast Furniture
Designed: 1956
Material: Palisander and steel, with reversible painted doors

Hope you enjoy this piece

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

In four years of travelling to Denmark I had never been to the famous Louisiana Museum of Modern Art! Shameful. So on Day 4 of our trip we visited - it was definately worth the wait.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is situated in Denmark on the North Zealand coast in a spacious, old park with a fine view across the sound of Sweden.

It houses an exquisite collection of modern art by international artists such as Arp, Francis Bacon, Calder, Dubuffet, Max Ernst, Sam Francis, Giacometti, Kiefer, Henry Moore, Picasso, Rauschenberg and Warhol.

Louisiana is not merely an experience in modern and contemporary art, but a reflection of the interplay between art, architecture and landscape.

The gorgeous park serves as an ideal setting for displaying the museum’s collection of modern sculptures.

Similarly the prominent museum buildings, constructed between 1958 and 1998, offer a fascinating background for the permanent collection of twentieth century art.

We were there for hours & took in a traditional Danish picnic on the lawns - beautiful.

Copenhagen Buying Trip - August 2007

Day 3 of buying trip, jet lag kicking in nicely. On the way to breakfast we bumped into Lars, a dealer I hadn't seen for a year.

Lars mentioned he thought he had a Finn Juhl sofa the Poet, which I have dreamed about finding.

In his truck & off to his warehouse, we literally hopped over the top of a room full of furniture and dropped down between a couple of sofas trying to work out if one of them was the Poet. Had a look at the sofa and found the legs weren’t exactly right, so I got down on the ground and took a closer look and decided it was a early copy, still a great little sofa but no Finn Juhl.

I did find some easy chairs for a Brisbane client, 4 of the Hans Wegner Paddle arm chairs by Getama, perfect, exactly what they wanted, and a stunning old leather sofa, more 30’s /40’s style that I have found once before, fantastic quality with a great patina.

The Scandinavian Rocking Horse

I couldn't resist this Rocking Horse, maybe because I'm expecting my first child soon?

Either way it's a beautiful example of Scandinavian design; plenty of fine details & drawn by architects. In true Danish style it has fine expression, form, shape & in clean beech this piece can enter into the furnishings of any home.

And of course the function has not been overlooked as the handles can be moved into three different positions so the horse can grow with the child!

All produced with non-toxic materials, security strap, rounded edges - & don't forget the seat cushion in micro - suede in your choice of gorgeous colours.

Summer's Must Have

I’ve been looking for just the bar right stool for a while & the Erik Buch design from the 60’s was what I wanted.

Recently I tracked down the factory it was made in 50 years ago and it’s still in production.

Prebenschou Fabrik have also added a swivel base option along with the standard fixed seat. A must have for summer.

Available in oak, walnut or teak with soap or oil finish.

Harp History

Today we visited the company that manufactures the famous Harp chair, J.C Snedkeri. What was so special about this visit was we had the opportunity to see and sit in the original/ prototype Harp chair, that was made by hand by the designer Jørgen Høvelskov in his basement for the Copenhagen Cabinet-Makers´Guild Furntiure Exhibition in 1963 .

It was amazing to see what would have been the designers first physical manifestation of his idea. It had been painted a matt black, the wood was oak I believe and he had use a large bolt to pull it together. It was originally called the Viking ship by him and it was only through the media that it became know as the Harp chair.

At the factory we were also able to spend some time looking over all Jørgen Høvelskov's original drawings and sketches on paper, and to my utter surprise he had also deisgned a dining table, dining chairs and a coffee table in the same vein as the Harp Chair. The dining table was 3 legged and to be produced with a marble or stone top. I am hoping to get a copy of all his drawings and sketches so we can exhibit them in our Showrooms and provide them to our clients, really beautiful sketches on draft paper.

The original Harp Chair will be donated to the Copenhagen Design Centre where it will be on display permanently, but we do hope one day it may travel the world for an exhibition in Australia, maybe even at the Great Dane Showrooms, we are working hard to make this happen.

I asked why he only made this one design and not the other pieces, and sadly from quite a young age he was sick and although only recently passing in the last few years he was not to see the realization of his other designs. Hopefully through J.C Snedkeri and their skilled craftsmen, we may get the absolute joy of seeing a range of furniture deisgned over 40 years ago brought to life as he would have wanted it. He is survived by his brother, who unfortunately can shed little light on the inspiration besides the obvious ship reference, to where this incredible deisgn came from. I would have loved to have been in the room the day he came up with the design, what was it that triggered him? what inspired his thoughts?…. A rare treat to get such a wonderful insight into a design classic.

Copenhagen Buying Trip - August 2007

My first day in Denmark this trip was busy, it was early August and we had been really lucky with sunshine, which all the Danes had been complaining about the lack of this summer.

We get in around 2pm and head straight out to my first appointment. I had my list of what our clients were wanting alongside my Showroom Managers requests.

My first appointment was not too far out of CPH and was greeted on the street by Michael, one of our suppliers and his trusty dog.

Unfortunately Balen the dog had been over fed by a visiting guest; the farting began as we set off on our hour drive. Poor Michael was so embarrassed, Balan felt good about it, we laughed all the way.

Anyway, got to the warehouse and got some fresh air!

I found a fantastic piece of glass, a wall plate, quite rare, Per Lutken for Holmegaard. Michael sometimes has the ever elusive bear chair and I was lucky enough to find one last time, as we had a client who was looking for an original in teak.

Illuminating

Verner Panton Lights.
A design classic, simply a big and a small hemisphere of aluminium or stainless steel put together. the perfect illustration of danish design; form following function & zero embellishment. notice the beautiful light they throw.

Verner Panton is considered one of Denmark's most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers . During his career, he created innovative and futuristic designs in a variety of materials, especially plastics, and in vibrant colors. His style was very '60's but regained popularity at the end of the 20th century; as of 2004, Panton's most well-known furniture models are still in production.

Products I love.

I have been working for the last 6 months on Great Dane representing probably one of the most prestigious Danish furniture manufacturers, PP Møbler. Møbler have been in business for over 50 years and are have the most extensive collection of Wegner chairs still in production. The range includes 'The Chair' and the 'Teddy Bear' or 'Bamsa Stol', which would have to be one of my favourite chairs.

The chair was nicknamed the Teddy Bear Chair when a journo sat in it at the original exhibition it was launched at, and exclaimed the wooden paws/arms and the shape made him feel as if he was being hugged by a bear!

PP Møbler still maintains an amazing quality standard and as such demand for their product it has a 6 month delivery time. I am thrilled that Great Dane now represents them and look forward to bringing this beautifully made furniture to our clients.

The Dane Inspired By Spain

The ‘Spanish Chair’ is one of Børge Mogensen’s most famous works, combining inspiration from traditional Spanish pieces with the Danish love for simplicity and practicality in furniture design. Everyone should own a Spanish Chair!

Designed in 1958, the Spanish Chair was inspired by a traditional chair type that Børge Mogensen saw on a trip to Spain. Back at the drawing board in Denmark, Mogensen took the basic idea and stripped it of embellishments and upholstery to achieve this simple and graphical piece.

Constructed from oak with a natural stretched leather seat and back, comfort is definitely one of the key characteristics of the Spanish Chair. The clean lines and simple materials also combine to ensure that Mogensen’s Spanish Chair is a piece of furniture that has remained relevant to contemporary design and has easy to reproduce to keep up with the high demand for it throughout the last fifty years.

Fredericia Furniture

Fredericia Furniture is a family-owned business, which has contributed to creating international respect for Danish design for generations.

The business is closely connected to the name of Børge Mogensen and it produces the majority of the famous furniture architect’s classics. Since the beginning of the 1990s, co-operation with some of today’s best Danish designers has drawn renewed attention to Fredericia Furniture, the collection of which comprises some of the most talked about and prized furniture in recent years.

By sharing a common passion for timeless design and respect for quality, we have established an exclusive relationship with this manufacturers. The products are exceptionally beautiful. Check out the range here.

Panel Your World

My rosewood obession continues.

Check out these amazing panels.

When I first started going to Denmark I began sourcing panels of rosewood, and I took the opportunity of creating a floor-to-ceiling wall in my office. It looks amazing.

On my last trip to Denmark I was lucky enough to find sixty vintage rosewood panels in their original packaging. In superb condition they are perfect for feature walls, lift interiors and tabletops.

Let me know if you'd like more information.

Rosewood Coloured Glasses

I love rosewood. Every chance I get I collect it. Last month in Denmark I picked up a rosewood letter opener for my own personal collection.

Something I'm also really excited about is The Y-chair or "The Wishbone Chair". A Wegner classic from the 1950s, it has remained popular because of its beautiful finish.

Bramin was a small manufacturer who wanted to interpret Wegner’s Y chair but in Rosewood. Due to the hardness and nature of rosewood he had to create joins in the back rest to accommodate the curve in the back. this only enhances the chair and adds to its uniqueness.

On my last trip I found 30 from an old restaurant that had closed down.

http://www.greatdanefurniture.com

Copenhagen Buying Trip March 2007

Monday train to Jutland, about 3 hours away for 2 appointments. 9am first appointment, picked up and greeted by a jumping dog, Balin, very cute who proceeds to take up residence on my lap on the way to the warehouse.

Start having a look around, but with little success, too expensive and not great quality, spend about 2 hours going through the place, find a piece that a Brisbane client has been after for a while, so visit has been worth it, a great quality Berg Mogenson cabinet and bookcase in oak.

Also located a stunning Kai Kristiansen desk which I have coveted for ages, as well as other Wegner chairs a client in Brisbane has been after for a while.

I then go through about 100 dining tables to find the ones that I’m after and sit down and hammer out a deal for the 50 dining tables and 250 dining chairs I have chosen. I then go about photographing and cataloging these for our clients to see.

By the time I'm finished my fingers are numb as are my feet, and its snowing through the roof, but I’ m still having fun, even if I cant feel it. I find a couple of nice pieces of rosewood to add to my personal collection, a beautiful rosewood letter opener and little Haslev side table a client in Sydney has been after for a while. The dealer mentions I was in luck and if I was happy to pay for the cab rides (not cheap), there was a couple of big indoor flea markets that were finishing around 5pm, so we might find some bargains, and it will be fun anyway.

The first one is a basketball arena, full of stalls, he has a great eye and within minute is pointing out vintage Holmegaard and Quistgaard pieces, and the fun begins.

We meet up with another guy I have been trying to get a hold of for while. He is old and very grumpy!!!! It turns out he has the largest collection of teak and rosewood figurines I have ever seen, none of which he wants to sell! There are a few old guys like this who have small basement shops, where you can’t see anything, it’s stacked up so high. You can barley get into these shops and whenever you ask for a price you get a 10 minute lecture about the piece. I feel eventually one day, one of them will probably turn around and say; “I’ll sell you the whole shop”. It’s a dream, I can only imagine the things you would end up with!!!

Anyway the one thing I wanted was a pair of rare Wegner sofas I had seen through the window the day before, but an American had beat me to it, oh well.

Copenhagen Buying Trip - March 2007

Wake around 4am, going over schedule for day, first appointment is at 10am with Jens and Jimmy.

It’s snowing and I have to explain to the Cab driver where the warehouse is as it’s an old ship building yard. I get there and it is great to see Jens, lovely old guy, burning rubber on his 4 wheel scooter.

It’s freezing, and getting colder, snowing outside.

Start having a look around the warehouse is around 10,000 sq meters.

By 11am my feet are numb and my face frozen, I bum a cigarette from a dealer in the vain hope of warming my lungs, even though I don’t really smoke and have cup of possible the worst coffee imaginable out of a percolator that has probably not been cleaned ever!!!

Came across a fantastic gymnasium horse in suede, a small and large one, must be 40 years old, will look fantastic in the Showroom for display. Also found a particular chair and footstool by Wikkelsoe a customer has requested, I've never seen the footstool for this model before, so she will be very pleased.

Spend the next 3 hours hunting through and catching up with all the dealers that work out of there, which is always fun, found some lovely old blue and white ceramics from an old restaurant.

Have seen a desk a client has been looking for, really feeling the cold now, and I haven’t eaten for 4 hours; the guy who runs the food stand is smart and doesn’t open during winter.

My next appointment shows up to take me to his warehouse and we hit the 7 Eleven on the way for the standard hotdog, Coke and Snickers; he is woofing down beer, always a good sign.

Luckily his basement warehouse is heated from pipes, my toes are slowing coming back to me, so I quite enjoy looking around, found a few other customer requests that our clients had specifically asked for. Most exciting find is some very rare Hans Wegner Deck chairs, which I have only ever seen in books and mags, so purchase both. Really great find.

Then back to the hotel. It’s 5pm and I have been up since 4am, feeling a little dopey, fall asleep and wake up around 1am to send photos and email to Showrooms for their clients. Try to go back to sleep and can’t so watch some bad movies and type this thing.