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When this iconic model was released in 1950, the unusual combination of rope, white-varnished steel and sheepskin had never been seen before in the furniture industry. It was a way for Hans Wegner to demonstrate his ability to design innovative, practical and comfortable furniture with every possible material.

Unveiled in Copenhagen in 1950 at an exhibition at the Designmuseum Denmark, the design received mixed reviews. Kaare Klint famously likened it to something from a gynaecologist’s office. But from the jump, fashion people fawned. It was splashed across magazines, models posing on its tightly wound string seat.

The Flaglinestol or Flag Halyard string-wrapped lounge chair quickly became a 21st-century icon. The story goes that in 1949 Wegner was at the beach, digging himself into the sand when he found the perfect lean-back position for seaside repose, which inspired him to make it in something more sturdy. This gave birth to this chair with its famous steel frame wrapped in rope commonly used for flagpoles. The ergonomic, spaceship-like form still looks innovative despite being over 70 years old. The bottom frame is made of a white-varnished steel structure with beechwood leg caps. The legs are splayed with the front ones connected by a stretcher, establishing the firm base for the body. The top-frame is made of chrome-plated steel that serves as the frame for the stretched halyard. Halyard rope, or flagpole rope, is traditionally used to raise and lower a flag on most external halyard flagpoles. The unusual combination of materials is continued by the cognac leather head pillow secured to the back. The chair is cosied up with sheepskin that - along with the headrest - softens the industrial shape of the steel.

This iconic Wegner model was already presented at The Arts & Crafts Spring Exhibition at Designmuseum Danmark in 1950. For several decades it was manufactured by Danish brand Getama in small quantities. In the late ’80s it went out of production altogether. PP Møbler picked up the production in 2000, however, this model is from the original series.

Condition:

In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. The frame has some marks and discolouration. The chair’s head pillow has been reupholstered recently in cognac leather. Each of our items can be re-upholstered by our in-house atelier in a fabric of choice. Please reach out for more information.

Dimensions:

41.73 in W x 45.66 in D x 31.29 in H; Seat height 12.59 in

106 cm W x 116 cm D x 79.5 cm H; Seat height 32 cm

Literature:

Mobilia (Denmark), no. 46, 1959, for an advertisement by Getama, n.p.; no. 67, February 1967, cover

Modern Scandinavian Furniture, Ulf Hård af Segerstad, Stockholm, 1963, p. 84

Hans J. Wegner: om Design, exh. cat., Dansk Design Center, Jens Bernsen, Copenhagen, 1995, p.76

Danish Chairs, Noritsugu Oda, San Francisco, 1996, p. 112

About the designer:

Hans Wegner (1914–2007) is considered as one of the most influential designers of Scandinavian design. Danish-born Wegner became a national and international design idol for shaping the history of design in the 1950s and ‘60s.

In his designs, the sharp edges defining Modernism were smoothened, creating his iconic chairs. As a pioneer of the modernist style, often described as “organic functionality”, Wegner described his method as “stripping the old chairs of their outer style and letting them appear in their pure construction.”.

At 14 years old, he began his apprenticeship with Danish master cabinetmaker H. F. Stahlberg. After serving in the military he moved to Copenhagen, and attended the School of Arts and Crafts, before setting out as a furniture designer. In 1943, he established his own studio, producing designs for manufacturers like AP Stolen, Fredericia Stolefabrik, and in later years, PP Møbler.

Wegner designed more than 500 chairs in his lifetime, refining an approach that combined a variety of natural materials and pushed traditional joinery techniques to extreme tolerances and distillations. Wegner’s background as a cabinetmaker gave him a deep understanding of how to integrate exacting joinery techniques with exquisite form, realizing the perfect combination with form and purpose.

The core of Wegner’s legacy remains his focus on showing the inner soul of furniture pieces through a simple and functional exterior. ~H.