Niels Koefoed Hornslet Lis

Niels Koefoed’s furniture is a demonstration of mastery through dedication. The Danish designer devoted himself to creating dining room furniture in mid-century modern and Scandinavian modern styles. Koefoed was best known for his elegant dining room chairs and exquisite dining room tables that he designed to accompany them. His use of hardwoods, like teak, rosewood and cherry, ensured that each piece retained its charm and beauty.

Koefoed was born into a family in the furniture design and manufacturing business. His father, Einar Koefoed, had opened a furniture factory in Hornslet, Denmark, in the 1920s. Hornslet was a furniture town that was home to upholstery and cabinet companies. Koefoed’s Møbelfabrik, the Koefoed family factory, specialized in fine furniture. Over the 1950s and 60s, the company became widely recognized for Niels Koefoed’s popular dining room chairs.

One of Koefoed’s first designs to receive significant attention was the 1957 Peter dining chair. The chair’s appeal lay in its refreshingly light and minimalistic style, with a comfortable curved back and leather seat. Koefoed reportedly named the chair after his son.

In 1964, Koefoed created his most iconic design: the Eva dining chair, named for one of his daughters. He described the tall and graceful chair as feminine, with full hips and narrow shoulders. The chair continues to be in high demand today. It was part of a series of dining chairs named after important women in Koefoed’s life, the other two being the Ingrid chair, also named for a daughter, and the Lis chair. Together, the chairs were known as the “three lovely girls.”

In 2004, Koefoed’s Møbelfabrik relocated to Thailand and continued manufacturing furniture. However, many of the company’s classic mid-century designs, including the Peter and Eva chairs, are today reproduced by the Danish company CASØ Furniture.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Niels Koefoed seating, tables and more.

No matter what your dream dining experience looks like, there is a wide-ranging variety of vintage, new and antique dining room chairs on 1stDibs. Find upholstered dining room chairs, wood dining room chairs and more to outfit any space designated for a good meal, be it in your home or in the great outdoors.

In the early 18th century, most dining room tables and other furniture was designed to look masculine. In America, dining rooms weren’t even much of a concept until the late 1700s, when a space set aside specifically for dining became a part of the construction of homes for the wealthy. Dining room chairs of the era were likely made of walnut or oak. In Europe, neoclassical dining chairs emerged during the 1750s owing to nostalgia for classical antiquity, while the curving chair crests of Queen Anne furniture in the United States preceded the artistically bold seat backs that characterized the Chippendale chairs that followed. If there weren't enough dining chairs at suppertime in the American colonies, men were prioritized and women stood.

In the dining rooms of today, however, there is enough space for everyone to have a seat at the table. Modern styles introduce innovative design choices that play with shape and style. Icons of mid-century modern dining room chairs are plentiful: With its distinctive bentwood back, there is the DCW dining chair by Charles and Ray Eames, while Hans Wegner's timeless classic, the Wishbone chair, remains relevant and elegant decades after its debut. Stefano Giovannoni's White Rabbit dining chairs, in their lovable polyethylene biomorphism, reinvent what dining can look like.

Today's wide range of dining room chairs also means that they can now be styled in different ways, bringing functionality and fun to any sumptuous dining space. No longer do tables have to be accompanied by a matching set of seats. Skillfully mixing and matching colors and designs allows you to showcase your personality without sacrificing the cohesion of a given space.

By furnishing your dining room with cozy chairs — vintage, antique or otherwise — family time can extend far beyond mealtime. The plush upholstery of Victorian-style dining room chairs is perfect for game nights that stretch from dinner to midnight snack. Outdoor tables and dining chairs can also present an excellent opportunity for bonding and eating — what goes better with a delicious meal than fresh air, anyway?

Whether you prefer your chairs streamlined and stackable or ornate and one of a kind, the offerings on 1stDibs will elevate your mealtime and beyond.