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Price category: 5,000 - 7,500 usd / eur

Danish furniture designer Illum Wikkelsø believed that furniture should be built to last, to indulge the body and to please the eye. He belonged to a group of designers who represented the Golden Age of Danish design during the 1950s and 1960s. With his clear design aesthetic and deep understanding of materials, he was one of the key protagonists in making Danish design style an international phenomenon.

This two-seater ‘V 12’ sofa combines a rectangular shape and long lines with subtle curves and rounded edges. The low back and deep seat give the sofa a modern and elegant look. The solid wood legs are cone-shaped and tapered with straight lines, contrasting nicely to the otherwise less-strict lines that characterize the design. The two loose seat cushions add a lot of depth to the look and highlight the leather’s unique texture, while also guaranteeing sitting comfort. Wikkelsø’s profound understanding of form was coupled with a deep commitment to exemplary levels of functionality and ergonomics. Although he was in many ways in tune with the design aesthetic of his time, he had both the courage and ability to develop his own innovative style which was often expressive and surprising, but always focused on sublime craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Free from unnecessary ornamentation, the aesthetic of this ‘V 12’ model sofa is sleek and modern. With its subtly rounded shape, this sofa is perfect to break the rigour of any space, all while keeping an elegant appearance, elevated by the timeless leather upholstery.

The sofa was manufactured by Danish manufacturer Holger Christiansen Møbelfabrik in Aarhus in the 1960s.

Condition:

In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. The sofa has been reupholstered recently in a premium 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:

55.12 in W x 28.74 in D x 26.77 in H; Seat height 18.11 in; Seat depth 20.47 in; Arm height 23.62 in

140 cm W x 73 cm D x 68 cm H; Seat height 46 cm; Seat depth 52 cm; Arm height 60 cm

Literature:

Holger Christiansen catalogue 1967, p. 4–5.

Design from Scandinavia, no. 3, p. 90–91.

About the designer:

Kristian Illum Wikkelsø (1919-1999), by his full name, is best known for his seating designs. Like most Danish designers at the time, Wikkelsø trained as a carpenter until 1938 and then followed in the footsteps of many of his later colleagues and continued his studies at the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts, graduating on 1941.

In 1944, Wikkelsø moved to Århus to work as an interior designer He was then employed at the carpentry master and architect Jacob Kjær's drawing room and then at Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard Nielsen’s architectural firm, where he worked until 1954.  The same year, Illum Wikkelsø began designing his own furniture and a few years later, he established his own workshop. A number of Danish manufacturers produced Wikkelsø’s designs, such as C.F. Christensen, Holger Christiansen and Søren Willadsen.

Like many of his Danish contemporaries, including Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, and Hans Wegner, Wikkelsø’s designs emphasize formal simplicity and biomorphic silhouettes. Wikkelsø’s background in cabinetry engendered in him a profound understanding of materials and an excellent attention to detail. Working with teak and rosewood, he captured delicately sculptural forms. Wikkelsø believed that furniture should be built to last while cradling the body and pleasing the eye. 

Though little biographical information survives, the quality of Illum Wikkelsø’s designs affirms his status as an active proponent of Scandinavian modernism in the post-war era. ~H.