The revival of the Willadsen series inspired by the art of Henry Moore
Now called the Willadsen Series, these pieces are perfect examples of Finn Juhl's artistic and unorthodox approach to design.
The semi-oval space allows the back to arch freely over the seat - a bold choice in 1950 that introduced a sense of lightness and demonstrated Finn Juhl's ability to redefine the traditional form of upholstery.
The rounded silhouette embraces the seated person in a dynamic gesture, while the slightly inclined feet elevate the design and reinforce its weightless quality.
Throughout his life, Finn Juhl was deeply inspired by art, and he emphasised that artistic expression - whether fine art or functional design - must be independent.
In Henrik Wivel's book, simply entitled ‘Finn Juhl’, the SW 50 series is presented as a clear expression of Finn Juhl's experimental approach.
Henrik Wivel writes: ‘Like the sculptor Henry Moore, Finn Juhl “drills holes” in the solidity of sofas, which gives the piece of furniture a living and autonomous presence in the room’.
‘If, as a newly trained cabinetmaker in 1904, I had tried to make furniture like the pieces that the architect Finn Juhl designed for our workshop, I would have been locked up,’ Søren Willadsen.
While we know that Finn Juhl collaborated with cabinetmakers and manufacturers such as Niels Vodder, Bovirke and France & Son, his partnership with Søren Willadsen in Vejen is less well documented.
The workshop was founded in 1904 by master cabinetmaker Søren Willadsen, initially as a small workshop. From 1912, it began to produce larger volumes.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Willadsen collaborated with a select group of architects, including Finn Juhl, Nanna and Jørgen Ditzel, Illum Wikkelsø and Kristian Vedel.
In 1950, the town of Vejen was home to several furniture manufacturers, but like most Danish workshops at that time, few remain today. As furniture makers, we continue to uphold Danish craft traditions. With the acquisition in 2022 of the century-old solid wood manufacturer Schou Andersen Møbelfabrik, also based in Vejen, the production of Finn Juhl's creations has been strengthened and guaranteed for the future.
Ivan Hansen, co-founder of House of Finn Juhl, explains: ‘We are proud to bring the Willadsen series back to Vejen, where it was originally manufactured in the 1950s. The workshop we have acquired dates from 1919, which underlines our commitment to preserving and continuing the craft traditions that have made Danish furniture famous throughout the world.’
Finn Juhl
As a teenager, Finn Juhl (1912-1989) wanted to become an art historian after developing a passion for the fine arts from an early age. His father prevented him from doing so and he studied to be an architect. Later, once he had made a name for himself as a furniture designer, he would refer to himself as self-taught, no doubt in reference to this thwarted vocation that forced him to forge his intellectual path alone. His highly individual style owes much to this non-linear trajectory, with a very unacademic interpretation of art visible in his work. Finn Juhl began his studies in 1930, a key period that saw the birth of modern design and furniture.
His ultra-modern offices in the centre of Copenhagen welcomed visitors with a huge Japanese paper fish, a symbol of imagination. And rather than approaching furniture design from a functional angle, in the classical manner, Finn Juhl approached his work like a sculptor. He sought the beauty of volume and form, life and expressiveness. An approach that was completely unprecedented in the 1940s and 1950s. For Finn Juhl, it was obvious that a piece of furniture could not be limited to a function, but should also express artistic sensibility.
Although he remains world-famous for his furniture, Finn Juhl also carried out several interior design projects and designed a number of industrial products, including IBM typewriters. He enjoyed his greatest commercial success with the Baker company in the United States, which enabled him to mass produce several items of furniture.
As an architect, he is known for the interior design of the United Nations headquarters in New York.
