I wanted to start writing a little about the people who designed some of the original Danish midcentury frames we restore. One of the wonderful things our pieces bring with them is their history, the story of where they came from, who made them, the ideas behind them – and where better to begin than with the designer..
Our IB sofa was designed by Erik Ole Jørgensen, one of the best known of the Danish midcentury furniture designers, and particularly renowned for his sofa and armchairs.
He began his training as an upholsterer, (before going on to train as an architect), which gave him an innate understanding of textiles and pattern which he brought to his furniture design.
During his career he designed both furniture and fabrics, (including fabric for Kvadrat), I’d like to do some more digging to find out about some of his fabric designs, but that’s perhaps best left for a future blog..!
In the 1940s he also worked for the godfather of Danish modern design, Kaare Klint for a number of years and took part in exhibitions all over the world receiving several awards for his carefully designed pieces.
His designs always had a simple functional elegance about them and the highest standards of craftsmanship.
In 1954 he founded his company Erik Jørgensen which remains a family business run by a second generation and has continued to design and manufacture iconic Danish sofas and armchairs.
One of his most well known pieces the EJ 315 was introduced in 1975 and has become an absolute design classic, and continues to be manufactured to this day.
I think you can see his appreciation and understanding of textiles in the EJ 315. The silhouette is clean and inviting and the buttons give a real added depth to the upholstery and life to the piece.
