wooden wonderland

last wednesday was another field study day with my danish design class. all our instructor had told us in class the day before was that we were to meet by the bus at 8:30 the next morning sharp. if we were late, we would be unable to get the destination with public transportation. so, without knowing where we were being led the next morning, we boarded the bus, promptly fell asleep, and arrived at our destination 40 minutes later, in the middle of a small and quiet town somewhere to the north of copenhagen.

in fact, we had arrived to the workshop of pp møbler, a family owned danish joinery workshop established in 1953 - one of the few cabinet making workshops in denmark.

hans j wegner,  pp501/pp503 'the chair' (1949)

we were led around by one of the apprentices at the workshop and followed the creation of a piece of furniture from a felled tree to a beautiful, handmade, high quality product.

hans j wegner, pp250
'the valet chair' (1953)

the workshop produces furniture pieces from famous danish designers including world renowned danish furniture designer, hans j wegner, who designed the famous "kennedy chair" among others. the workshop was begun by ejnar and lars peder pedersen and is still run by second and third generation pedersen family members.

hans j wegner, pp129 (1968)

hans j wegner, pp52/pp63
(1975)

it was really extraordinary to observe the work that goes into a single piece of furniture. the incredible handiwork makes it not only extremely functional, but also a work of art. these are objects to be integrated into one's daily life, for the rest of their lives. wegner's style is often described as organic functionality, a modernist school with emphasis on functionality. in his lifetime, he designed over 500 different chairs, many of which have become recognizable design icons. 

hans j wegner, pp19 'the teddy bear chair' (1951)
in preparation for cushioning and other upholstery details

his designs and pp møbler's work stands the test of time seeing how successful and coveted the many chairs and tables remain, and their frequent use to support heads of state around the world. 

obama in the kennedy chair

my wednesday night ended by watching "my playground," a documentary about the connection and relationships between buildings, space, people and movement. in this case, parkour is the conduit for conversation and reflection, with both athletes and architects offering their thoughts on how the sport and the urban environment provides a new opportunity for free expression.