As a proud manufacturer of furniture designed by Hans J. Wegner, Carl Hansen & Son is happy to continue a tradition of celebrating the late designer’s April 2, 1914 birthday with a limited- edition release of his iconic Wishbone Chair. For 2020, the Wishbone Chair takes a darker turn, as its elegant frame is reimagined in a glossy navy blue finish.
The CH24’s striking new color was carefully selected in close collaboration with the London-based designer and creative director, Ilse Crawford, and her multidisciplinary practice, Studioilse. The deep, moody shade of navy and the high-gloss finish were both inspired by Wegner’s long-standing fascination with the Asian design history and craft.
“The blue refers to the color, which has been so much a part of Chinese culture: from the blue and white china that obsessed the world for so many centuries, to the dark blue of indigo textiles,” says Crawford, “While the high gloss finish references the traditional Chinese lacquer finish.”
Though the color aims to capture some of Wegner’s historical interests, when paired with the Wishbone Chair’s natural woven paper cord seat, the dynamic contrast in texture and tone create a distinctly contemporary statement.
Originally conceived in 1949 and produced from 1950, the Wishbone Chair was the first of five chairs that Wegner designed for Carl Hansen & Son. Today, the chair is still made in Denmark, at Carl Hansen & Son’s factory on the island of Funen, where its fourteen parts are manually assembled and its papercord seat hand-woven from 395 feet of paper cord. Seventy years after it first went into production, it remains an international icon, a classic with its purity of form, earnest materiality, and impeccable craftsmanship that would come to define Danish modernism.
“Every year we celebrate Hans J. Wegner’s birthday by introducing a new version of the Wishbone Chair, changing its appearance without interfering with its integrity as a design,” says Carl Hansen & Son Managing Director, Knud Erik Hansen, “This year’s glossy navy blue edition is charming and discrete, while highlighting the simple beauty that has made the Wishbone a favorite for seventy years. The idea behind the limited edition is that the chair is only available from April 2, 2020, which is the birthday of Hans J. Wegner and throughout April.”
Each limited-edition chair features a small brass plate engraved with Hans J. Wegner’s signature and date of birth, discretely placed inside the chair’s frame. Every chair is also accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
The dimensions of the chair are: 45 cm (seat height), 76 cm (height), 51 cm (depth) and 55 cm (width).