DESIGNER Niels O. Møller founded the funiture factory J.L Møller Møbelfabrik in Århus, Denmark, in 1944. All of his designs were produced by J.L Møller. The company is still active and owned by the Møller family.
Møller completed his apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker in 1939 and went on to train at the Danish Design school in Århus. Later, he founded the furniture factory J.L Møller Møbelfabrik in Århus, Denmark, in 1944.
In 1946, the first chair, aptly titled No. 1, was developed, and over the next 13 years, with furniture being shipped as far as the US, J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik was pressured to move to new and bigger premises on L.A. Ringsvej in Højbjerg, on the outskirts of Århus.
Model 71 dining chairs and dining table by Niels O. Møller; two armchairs, four side chairs. Teak and leather. 1951.
Møller designed the No. 71 chair in 1951 and it became one of his most popular designs. He went on to design other dining chairs and tables, coffee tables, sideboards and cabinets and serving carts but the No. 78 chair, launched in 1962, is considered his most impressive design, its subtle and elegant features rendering it a standard for design and quality of production.
In 1981, Møller’s company received the Dansk MøbelIndustri’s Furniture Prize. The citation for the prize mentioned J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik’s ability to combine the best craft traditions with modern furniture manufacture.
Niels O. Møller passed away in 1982 leaving a legacy of excellent craftsmanship to his sons, Jørgen Henrik Møller and Jens Ole Møller, both trained as cabinetmakers. Jørgen Henrik Møller attended Copenhagen Design School in the mid 70s, where he designed chair No. 401 and armchair No. 402.
Jens O. Møller died in 1994, but J.L. Møllers Møbelfabrik continues to this day, managed by Jørgen Henrik Møller. His eldest son, Michael Møller, has joined his father and acts as a representative of the next generation, continuing a crafting tradition pioneered by his visionary grandfather, Niels O. Møller.