poul kjærholm PK52 PK52A
SIMPLE FORM AND OUTSTANDING CRAFTSMANSHIP In 1955, furniture designer Poul Kjærholm, the standard-bearer for Danish modernism, developed a unique furniture series for the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. The Academy needed a number of desks for its lecturers and students, and Kjærholm, who had just joined the faculty as a lecturer, designed a Professor Desk, PK52, and a Student Desk, PK52A, made of wood and steel. During the design process, Kjærholm drew on his experience as both a cabinetmaker and a furniture designer, rediscovering the synthesis between craftsmanship and industrial design along the way. The desks, which are distinguished by a clean, light expression, helped establish Kjærholm as a one-of-a-kind furniture designer with an intuitive feel for the inherent potential of his chosen materials. With Carl Hansen & Søn adding the two tables to its classic furniture collection, the internationally renowned Kjærholm takes his place alongside other contemporaries and sources of inspiration, including Hans J. Wegner, Ole Wanscher, and Kaare Klint. Although Kjærholm approached his design from a purely functionalist standpoint, there is a kinship between him and many of the designers Carl Hansen & Søn represents particularly when it comes to the demands for quality and a sharp eye for detail.
every piece comes with a story When you choose a Carl Hansen & Søn product, you get more than just a piece of furniture. You become part of a proud tradition of distinctive and beautiful craftsmanship, where nothing has been left to chance. Where all furniture is manufactured with great love for design and the history of the crafting process. Where each piece passes through numerous expert hands before taking pride of place in your chosen space, recounting a story of masterful design in quality wood from sustainable Scandinavian forests. We hope you will continue to tell the story. That is why we make furniture.
A BEAUTIFUL PAIRING OF WOOD AND STEEL The Professor and Student Desks light and simple design complements both modern and classic décors and showcases the exquisite interplay between materials that became Poul Kjærholm s signature. Kjærholm elegantly combined a coated steel frame with a veneer countertop and refined some of the design concepts that came to define his furniture particularly the trademark floating tabletop. The series also reflects the designer s well-known attention to detail and demand for artisanal finishes. With their precise expression and execution, the desks embody the craftsmanship virtues that define Carl Hansen and Søn. Both designs can serve as desks, dining room tables, or beautiful worktables for drafting rooms or offices. The pieces are also equally at home in hotel rooms and other environments marked by simple, modern aesthetics.
poul kjærholm S UNCOMPROMISING DESIGN The work of Poul Kjærholm (1929-1980) was at once deeply rooted in the Danish furniture tradition and inspired by artistic movements all over Europe. The German Bauhaus School, furniture designers Gerrit Rietveld, Mies van der Rohe, and Charles Eames, as well as Danish furniture designer Kaare Klint and his contemporaries, all contributed to shaping Kjærholm as a furniture designer. Kjærholm made a name for himself primarily with his functionalist steel, leather, and glass furniture, although he originally trained as a cabinetmaker in Hjørring, Denmark in 1949. He then went on to study furniture design at the Danish School of Arts and Crafts (now the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design) in Copenhagen, graduating in 1952 and returning again to teach shortly after. In 1955, he became a lecturer at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and was appointed Professor in 1976, succeeding Ole Wanscher. Kjærholm remained at the Academy until his death in 1980. Throughout his work as both an educator and a furniture designer Kjærholm made function and clarity his hallmarks. Whatever material he worked with, Kjærholm, in his own quiet way, allowed the furniture to speak its own simple language. An idealist in his field, he refrained from easy solutions and never allowed himself to be guided by changing fads. Driven by the dual desire to realize each material s inherent nature and to create harmony between material and form, Kjærholm often felt that there was only one solution to a given problem. He was a demanding teacher guided by perfectionism and discipline, his idealistic approach to design also manifesting itself among his students. Kjærholm s furniture is represented in a number of international museums and earned him numerous accolades, including the Lunning Award in 1958, the Eckersberg Medal in 1960, and multiple ID Awards.
PK52 PK52A Poul kjærholm 1955 Both the Professor Desk, PK52, and the Student Desk, PK52A, are available with Oregon pine veneer or oak veneer tabletops with an oiled, lacquered, or black-painted surface, and a black- or gray-lacquered steel frame, with or without a drawer unit. The drawer unit, PK115, is available in oiled, varnished, or blackpainted oak. PK52 poul kjærholm 1955 28-1/4" 73-1/4" 85,0 cm 33-1/2" PK52A poul kjærholm 1955 28-1/4" 55-3/4" 85,0 cm 33-1/2" TABLETOP Oregon pine veneer or oak veneer Drawer Oiled, varnished, or black-painted oak Steel Black- or gray-lacquered steel OAK Oregon pine OIL white OIL LACquer Black
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