Karakter Principal Chair

Karakter Principal Chair .

One of the last living mid-century Scandinavian design pioneers and a female pioneer in the field of architecture in her time, Bodil Kjær, conceived her Principal series in 1961 as part of an architectural exploration of interior solutions for modern living, called Elements of Architecture.

Comprising a dining table and an upholstered dining chair, the Principal series epitomises Kjær’s forward-thinking cosmopolitan outlook and modernistic design language that slips fluidly into contemporary interior.

The solid wood dining table boasts a clarified form, repeating a simple angle throughout table legs and ends of the table top, while the dining chair with its circular seat and gently rounded backrest, beautifully upholstered, adds a softness to the clear, unfussed geometry, an invitation to linger.

The entire Principal series can be upholstered with textiles from Kvadrat and leathers from Sørensen Leather.

Designed as a series of furniture elements, the Principal collection has a modern appeal. The Principal dining chair is open, its round backrest comforting and enveloping but at the same time with a sure pure line, striking in its simplicity and beauty.

The architect Bodil Kjær did not set out by choosing a form or a shape; for her it was about structure and strength. The furniture should be easily read – people could see instantly how it was constructed and how it could be used.

Colors: Oak, Walnut, Sörensen leather, Kvadrat Fabrics.
Dimensions: Height 71 cm,Width 63 cm, Depth 56 cm, Seat depth 48 cm, Seat height 46 cm.
Material: Frame in solid oak or walnut with clear lacquer, HR/CMHR/Cal.117 foam on seat and backrest, upholstered with leather or textile, plastic or felt glides

♠ Made to order.

About the designer:

She has been featured in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal Magazine. She designed a desk for MIT which was dubbed ‘The most beautiful desk in the world’ and eventually immortalized in 3 early James Bond movies. Danish architect, designer and professor Bodil Kjær (born 1932) is the female trailblazer of Danish midcentury design, who although tutored by modernist master Finn Juhl, in her own words “… never had much interest in following in the footsteps of the Danish rat pack”.

Kjær looked to America, inspired by Charles and Ray Eames, and indeed many of her most notable designs stems from her time in the U.S., where she briefly worked at Paul McCobb, before moving to Boston to further her career in corporate interior architecture. Kjær’s reignited prominence as a designer in later years is well deserved.

Pared back, elegant and decidedly modern, her iconic pieces slip effortlessly into contemporary life 60 years on. Today, Bodil Kjær is back in Denmark and lives on the east coast of Jutland where she continues to teach, do research and participate in the architectural development of the city of Aarhus.