Large Executive Walnut Writing Desk by Jens Risom, 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Jens Risom (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.75 in (73 cm)Width: 81.11 in (206 cm)Depth: 35.83 in (91 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Chesham, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6441238223642
Jens Risom
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.
You May Also Like
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Glass, Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Walnut
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal, Steel
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Cast Stone, Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Chrome
