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Jens Risom Children s Furniture

Danish, American, 1916-2016

The Danish-born Jens Risom brought the Scandinavian modern design sensibility to a wide audience in the United States. As the first designer for Knoll Inc., Risom introduced American buyers to the region’s enduring design values of simplicity, grace and craftsmanship.

Risom trained in furniture making at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design under Ole Wanscher, alongside classmates Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen. In 1939, a year after graduating from business school, Risom decided to move to the U.S. 

While working for an interior designer in New York in 1941, he met Hans Knoll, and the businessman and the designer hit it off. They brought out their first line the next year, despite wartime materials restrictions. The signature piece — now a design icon — was a lounge chair with a striking, undulant birch frame and a seat made of webbed sub-military grade parachute straps. Risom was drafted into the army, and served as a translator under General George Patton. When he returned from the war, Risom clashed over furniture design ideals with his business partner’s new bride, Florence Knoll, the pioneering mid-century modernist who was schooled in the Bauhaus method, which favored furniture with strict, geometric metal frames. Risom then started his own company, Jens Risom Design.

In the course of his long career, Risom developed a stylistic vocabulary that was a reflection of the life of the man himself: his furniture has Danish warmth coupled with an American air of crisp efficiency. Vintage Risom chairs are almost instantly recognizable — the arms and seat backs are set at a distinctive angle that seems to invite people to sit back and relax, yet they know they can hop up in an instant, ready to go.

As you will see on these pages, Jens Risom is one of the great men of American modern design who made furniture that is unique and timeless.

Find a collection of vintage Jens Risom furniture on 1stDibs that includes lounge chairs, desks, coffee tables and more.

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Creator: Jens Risom
2023 Jens Risom for Knoll Amoeba 42” Child s Table in Beech
By Knoll, Jens Risom
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Child's Risom Amoeba Table, originally designed by Jens Risom in 1941. This particular example was produced by Knoll in the USA in 2023. The table is comprised of solid bee...
Category

2010s American Modern Jens Risom Children s Furniture

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2023 Jens Risom for Knoll Amoeba 42” Child s Table in Beech
2023 Jens Risom for Knoll Amoeba 42” Child s Table in Beech

2023 Jens Risom for Knoll Amoeba 42” Child s Table in Beech

$550
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Jens Risom children s furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Jens Risom children's furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Jens Risom children's furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original children's furniture by Jens Risom were created in the modern style in united states during the 21st century and contemporary. Prices for Jens Risom children's furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $550 and can go as high as $550, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $550.

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