What Makes a Chair or Lamp a Design Classic?
The director of Designmuseum Denmark — and judge on the TV show ‘Denmark’s Next Classic’ — shares her insights
Close your eyes and think of an iconic piece of Danish furniture. Maybe Hans Wegner’s Wishbone chair comes to mind, or maybe it’s a Børge Mogensen sofa or one of Arne Jacobsen’s famous chairs — the Series 7, Egg or Swan.
Denmark is famous for its rich design heritage. Danes use the term “classic” with great precision when it comes to interiors and furniture — and classic Danish design is particularly relevant in the country these days thanks to the TV show Denmark’s Next Classic (Danmarks Næste Klassiker), in which five designers compete to come up with Denmark’s future furniture icons.
But what does classic mean exactly? We spoke with Anne-Louise Sommer, director of Designmuseum Denmark and a judge on Denmark’s Next Classic, to learn more about what constitutes classic design.
Photo by Magnus Ekstrøm for Designmuseum Denmark
“In my view, two things define a classic,” Sommer says. “On the one hand, a classic reflects the time when it was produced and expresses the needs of that time. On the other hand, it’s timeless.” She notes that the ideas and beliefs of a time can find expression in the choice of materials, the design philosophy and the production methods.
“In my view, two things define a classic,” Sommer says. “On the one hand, a classic reflects the time when it was produced and expresses the needs of that time. On the other hand, it’s timeless.” She notes that the ideas and beliefs of a time can find expression in the choice of materials, the design philosophy and the production methods.
PH 3/2 Pendant
A (literally) shining example of this golden combination is the PH lamp, Sommer says. Poul Henningsen sketched his first lampshades in 1925. These evolved into the PH lamp, which adorns countless homes today, exuding contemporary elegance despite a nearly century-old design.
Digging for Gold in Old Danish Designs
Digging for Gold in Old Danish Designs
“Poul Henningsen was the first to specifically consider the incandescent lightbulb — which was a relatively new invention at the time — in a new way,” Sommer says. “In the beginning, it was just hidden under traditional lampshades, but PH addressed this issue: How can we use shades to manage and use incandescent light in the best possible way?”
Sommer also notes that the PH shades are so simple and geometrically aesthetic that they never feel dated. This makes the lamp a great example of a design classic.
Sommer also notes that the PH shades are so simple and geometrically aesthetic that they never feel dated. This makes the lamp a great example of a design classic.
Arne Jacobsen’s Ant chair is another example of how the combination of period qualities and timelessness led to a classic.
“Ant was the first industrially produced stackable chair, and it opened up a whole new way of using wood,” Sommer says. “With it, industrial production rose to an entirely new level. In addition, it is practical and easy to move around, so it responds to any possible need that may arise over time.”
The chair was originally designed for Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk’s canteen in 1952. “In addition, it is quite simple, plain and, yes, timeless in the design,” Sommer says. “It has a reference to the ant built into its expression.”
“Ant was the first industrially produced stackable chair, and it opened up a whole new way of using wood,” Sommer says. “With it, industrial production rose to an entirely new level. In addition, it is practical and easy to move around, so it responds to any possible need that may arise over time.”
The chair was originally designed for Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk’s canteen in 1952. “In addition, it is quite simple, plain and, yes, timeless in the design,” Sommer says. “It has a reference to the ant built into its expression.”
Although Danish furniture is popular around the world today, not all of the designs created in the country have been consistently so. The furniture of Finn Juhl is a good example.
“Finn Juhl was huge in the ’50s and ’60s, when his furniture came out,” Sommer says. “He was celebrated and lauded and his furniture was incredibly popular. But in the ’70s and ’80s, no one would have it. Pieces were sold incredibly cheaply at auctions and could be found at secondhand dealers, where you could buy them for almost nothing.”
“Finn Juhl was huge in the ’50s and ’60s, when his furniture came out,” Sommer says. “He was celebrated and lauded and his furniture was incredibly popular. But in the ’70s and ’80s, no one would have it. Pieces were sold incredibly cheaply at auctions and could be found at secondhand dealers, where you could buy them for almost nothing.”
But in recent decades, Juhl’s designs — characterized by clean Scandinavian lines with sweeping shapes — have experienced a renaissance and today are expensive collectibles.
“Classics often have their own pulse, because it is not just about design tracks and aesthetics but also the influence of society and the trends of the time,” Sommer says.
“Classics often have their own pulse, because it is not just about design tracks and aesthetics but also the influence of society and the trends of the time,” Sommer says.
Looking at today’s classics, it might seem obvious that they were destined to achieve their status. Yet when it comes to predicting which new designs will be the classics of the future, it’s “a very difficult thing to figure out,” Sommer says.
“When a piece of furniture is designed and produced, no one can know whether it will become a classic,” she says. “You can work your way toward it, you can follow specific rules and combine timeless elements with elements that reflect the era, but whether it actually hits the mark and becomes a classic, only time will tell.”
The same is true of other genres, of course, such as literature, fashion and the visual arts. “No one in Picasso’s time could, for example, predict that his works would be classics today,” Sommer says.
The same is true of other genres, of course, such as literature, fashion and the visual arts. “No one in Picasso’s time could, for example, predict that his works would be classics today,” Sommer says.
If you look up “classic” in a Danish dictionary, it’s defined as a “work of art or craftsmanship that is considered to be of high and lasting quality or to be a typical representative of a particular genre or style.”
Those qualities are key factors in Sommer’s assessment of furniture designs on Denmark’s Next Classic.
Those qualities are key factors in Sommer’s assessment of furniture designs on Denmark’s Next Classic.
“We are looking for the ultimate quality and durability in many different aspects, both in terms of craftsmanship and in relation to materials and design language,” she says of herself and the other judges. “You have to ask yourself, ‘Would you be able to keep on looking at that lamp or chair?’ A design must be top quality in order to compete to become Denmark’s next classic.”
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