DESIGNERS: Kai Kristiansen

DESIGNERS: Kai Kristiansen

Kristiansen's designs are considered embodiments of Danish mid-twentieth/mid-century century furniture. He designed everything from writing desks, tables, sideboards, chairs, bar cabinets and TV-stands, mostly manufactured in ever-popular teak or rosewood. He trained as a cabinetmaker, graduating in 1948 and then went on to train under Kaare Klint at the Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In the 1950s, he opened his own design studio and entered into many successful collaborations. From 1966 to 1970, Kristiansen was the driving force behind the Scandinavian Furniture Fair.

Kai Kristiansen is a Danish furniture designer best known for his smooth and geometric Mid-Century Modern cabinets, tables, and dining chairs. Working in oak, teak, and rosewood, the designer produced popular, pioneering pieces including the FM Wall Unit, Model 42 Chair, and Model 31 Chair.

Born in 1929 in Denmark, Kristiansen originally trained as a cabinetmaker and went on to study under famed architect and furniture designer Kaare Klint at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. The designer opened his own office in Copenhagen in 1955, a space he shared with his contemporary Illum Wikkelsø in the 1970s.

In 2016, Kristiansen partnered with Great Dane Furniture, an Australian Importer of Danish furniture, to launch a reissue of his designs popularized in the mid-1950s. The designer continues to collaborate with designers and manufacturers, and lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark.

https://midcenturymoderntoronto.com/products/coming-refinished-danish-mcm-teak-sofa-2-lounge-armchairs-and-ottoman-by-kai-kristiansen?_pos=2&_sid=c5ce5a7f6&_ss=r

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