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The PK15 chair is made from steam-bent ash with a cane seat. Poul Kjærholm had been interested in building such a bentwood chair in the early 1960s, but was discouraged by the difficulty. He took up the idea again in 1979 and finally produced the PK15.Â
The PK15 was the first pre-compressed chair to go into commercial production. Gimla Möbelfabrik, in Sweden, was the first to manufacture it, in steam-bent beech, but was unable to achieve the level of precision required for commercial production. Several solutions were tried, such as turning the legs on a lathe so that they narrowed where they met the armrest.Â
Production was eventually taken over by PP Møbler, who found new pre-compression techniques to meet Kjærholm's requirements.Â
The basic shape of the chair has a long curve forming the backrest and armrests, before descending to form the front legs. An inner and lower curve, parallel but narrower, forms the back legs.
The PK15 echoes the PK12 steel armchair, designed in 1964 and produced by Kold Christensen. The resemblance is striking, despite the contrast in material composition.
Materials Ash, Solid wood caning, Leather
Dimensions W57,5 x D47,7 x H71.6 cm – Seat height 45 cm – Weight 3.4 kg
Black coloured ash
Natural ash
Cushions
Black Grace leather
Natural leather
Poul Kjærholm
Acclaimed for his distinctive style of furniture design, Poul Kjaerholm was born in Øster Vrå, Denmark in 1929. His pieces are considered to contain a minimalist and articulated form, all in relief with a style that is still famous around the world.
From modest beginnings as a cabinetmaker apprentice at the Gronbech workshop in 1948, Kjaerholm continued to forge his ideology at the Danish School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen. Far from shunning the majority of his Scandinavian counterparts, the Dane chose steel as the main material rather than wood. "The potential of steel is not the only thing that interests me, the refraction of light on its surface is an important part of my artistic work. "
Awarded the prestigious Lunning Prize in 1958 and the Trennali Grand Prix in Milan in 1960, Kjaerholm's drawings continue to be featured in the permanent collections of the New York Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. in many other museums across Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany.