POUL KJÆRHOLM 1929-1980

The man behind masterpieces like the PK22™ had a fascination for steel and a love of natural materials.

A trained cabinetmaker who completed his studies at the Danish School of Arts and Crafts, Poul Kjærholm had a particular interest in construction materials; especially steel, which he considered a material deserving the artistic respect that was commonly awarded to wood.

Poul Kjærholm initiated a collaboration with furniture manufacturer Ejvind Kold Christensen in 1955, and that collaboration continued for the rest of Kjærholm’s life with the two families remaining close to this very day.

Two years after the designer’s passing, the Kjærholm trustees entrusted Fritz Hansen with the production and sales of ‘The Kjærholm Collection’– designs developed by Poul Kjærholm from 1951 to 1967.

Fritz Hansen is honoured to continue production to this day and to distribute Poul Kjærholm’s furniture to architects and private customers around the world.

PK25™

The PK25™ was designed by Poul Kjærholm for his final graduation project at the School of Arts and Crafts in 1952. Also known as the ‘Element’ chair, the PK25 is a striking example of Kjærholm’s eagerness to transform common, industrial materials into striking works of art. Kjærholm was determined to reduce the chair to a single piece of each material, resulting in its overarching hallmark: the continual steel frame that bends through the form without interruption.

PK

A piece of Poul’s furniture is like an elegant written character that gives the room in which it stands solidity and calm. Poul Kjaerholm entered the scene at a time when Danish furniture has reached a zenith, both at home and abroad, designed and shaped by inspired architects and cabinetmakers. Poul’s furniture found a natural place for itself on the same high level, but he broadened furniture design with a completely new view of furniture, and that was something.