The “Round One” as Wegner referred to it with his usual provincial modesty, is one of the most famous Danish pieces of furniture — and certainly most distinctly Danish. In its own modest and simple way, it sums up the very essence of traditional Danish woodworking and design philosophy. It is considered the magnum opus of Hans J. Wegner.
With this chair Wegner came into his own right, no longer needing the inspiration from other cultures and designers that had influenced his earlier works. This chair was created in a language of shape and construction that only Wegner spoke.
It also became the cornerstone in a wide range of designs, which for more than a decade constituted the core business of several Danish furniture manufacturers, effectively becoming the main force in the great international breakthrough of Danish Modern.
Each piece is cut into rough dimensions from a fresh newly felled tree. The right and left armrests are cut in line with one another and paired to match. The raw parts are then conditioned for between one to two years depending on the wood type.
This is a delicate process that cannot be hurried and there is no technology that can speed up the conditioning process. We have to rely on the nature of the tree and on generations of experience. If sales exceed the number of parts cut and conditioned, the lead time of a new chair will be entirely dependent on the conditioning process and availability of new shelter trees.
Hans J. Wegner
![pp_571_502_503[1]](https://www.vigtig.dk/wp-content/uploads/1949/05/pp_571_502_5031.jpg)
![refer_toender[3]](https://www.vigtig.dk/wp-content/uploads/1949/05/refer_toender3.jpg)
![refer_e15[1]](https://www.vigtig.dk/wp-content/uploads/1949/05/refer_e151.jpg)
![refer_real_dania[1]](https://www.vigtig.dk/wp-content/uploads/1949/05/refer_real_dania1.jpg)
In 1950 the Round Chair triggered the first ever foreign report on Danish design in the American Interiors Magazine. It became one of the most desired designs on the American market and the export of Danish furniture quickly picked up. Within the American furniture business the Round Chair was regarded as an archetype of a modern chair and it became known simply as “The Chair”.
In 1960, when John F. Kennedy faced Richard Nixon in the first presidential election debate to be televised, they sat in “The Chair”. The debate was historic and proved pivotal in favour of Kennedy.
