Børge Mogensen

1914 –1972

leather, wool fabrics, and brass mountings.

At the same time, he always welcomed

innovations that he found were a genuine

progression of his craft.

”I do become more and more narrow

in my devotion. Within a very limited

field, I strive to live out to the utmost

border of possibilities within both the

material and the shape. Sometimes I

cross that border – and then I learn.”

A trained cabinetmaker and furniture designer,

Mogensen attended the Copenhagen School

of Arts and Crafts before enrolling at the

school of furniture design at the Royal Danish

Academy of Fine Arts, where he was taught

by Kaare Klint. After graduating in 1941,

Mogensen continued to defend the ideals

of evolutionary design that were essential to

Klint’s principles while also expanding on

design traditions. Contrary to Klint, Mogensen

explored classic cabinetmaker typologies

and techniques, finding new solutions that

facilitated mass production. He also pursued

projects that contributed to the surge in

informal housing during the 1960s.

Under the leadership of Mogensen, the Danish

Co-operative Wholesale Society initiated a

programme to renew Danish furniture culture

and create modern, functional furniture for

use in private homes and state institutions.

Mogensen designed several pieces of

furniture for the programme, including the

J39, which became popularly known as “the

people’s chair”.

Shortly after opening his own design firm in

1950, Mogensen began collaborating with

the young interior architect and entrepreneur

Andreas Graversen, who would later become

the owner of Fredericia Furniture.

Graversen’s acquisition of Fredericia in

1955 marked the start of a professional

partnership with Mogensen that developed

into a strong friendship fuelled by a shared

desire to create simple, high-quality furniture

with an enduring aesthetic appeal. They

were equally passionate about their vision

and their work, resulting in a partnership that

was often temperamental.

One reason for Mogensen’s prolific

creativity at Fredericia was Graversen’s

unwavering support and willingness to fulfill

his uncompromising demands for quality.

Mogensen’s most iconic pieces were

developed at Fredericia’s workshop. To date,

Fredericia remains the primary producer of

his furniture. Graversen and Mogensen’s

high demands for quality, functionality, and

sense of materiality are still very much alive

in our approach when developing new

furniture today.

Mogensen received numerous awards and

recognitions for his rich repertoire of work.

In 1972, he was appointed Honourary Royal

Designer for Industry at the Royal Society of

Arts in London. That same year, he received

the highest architectural honour in Denmark

at the time, the C.F. Hansen Medal and The

Eckersberg Medal, which he also won in

1950. Previously in 1971, Mogensen and

Graversen jointly received the Danish

Furniture Prize for their contribution to the

Danish furniture industry.

Børge Mogensen died prematurely in 1972

at the age of 58. Examples of his most

celebrated designs can be seen in leading

design museums around the world.

“My goal is to create items that serve

people and give them the leading role,

instead of forcing them to adapt to the

items.”

BØRGE MOGENSEN (1914–1972) was one

of the most influential designers in shaping

Danish Modern design and Fredericia’s

founding designer from 1955 until his untimely

death in 1972. He found inspiration all over

the world in his quest to create everyday

objects that would endure for generations.

Mogensen’s most recognised pieces were

developed during his collaboration and

friendship with Andreas Graversen,

Fredericia’s CEO, from 1955–1995.

Børge Mogensen was a pioneer who helped

establish Denmark as a culture of furniture

design. His life-long ambition was to create

durable, useful furniture that would enrich

people’s everyday lives. Functional furniture

for all parts of the home and society.

Mogensen believed that furniture should

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create a sense of tranquillity and a modest

appearance that encourages people to live

their lives unpretentiously. He was acclaimed

for his masterful sense of materials and

proportions. Along with his ability to create

beautiful, distinctive furniture by emphasising

simple horizontal and vertical lines and

surfaces. All in an attempt to create clean,

aesthetically-pleasing designs that were

easy to produce.

His furniture can be described as modest

yet very self-confident – just like their

creator. Throughout his career, Mogensen

was one of the boldest voices in the critical

debate about furniture design.

While working strictly within his self-imposed

dogmas, he would occasionally break his

own rules without abandoning their original

intent. He often criticised his peers for

compromising their artistic integrity favouring

short-sighted trends.

Mogensen preferred to work with refined yet

rustic natural materials, such as solid oak,

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