Incollect Magazine - Issue 3

Issue 3 106 www.incollect.com Poul Kjaerholm Poul Kjaerholm is unique among the mid- century Scandinavian designers because his work is distinguished by his use of a steel component to contrast with natural materials such as leather, wood and cane. Kjaerholm embraced not only industrial materials but industrial production methods over traditional Scandinavian hand craftsmanship, both to enable mass manufacturing of his designs and because he was interested in the structural properties of steel, which allowed him to create thinner, finer supports for his designs. This can be seen in his now famous PK31 lounge chair and sofa produced by E. Kold Christensen, or his PK61A Coffee table with glass top, the PK35 lounge chair, or his PK9 and PK12 chairs combining leather upholstery with curved steel bases. His use of steel sets him apart from his peers aesthetically, along with an uncompromising minimalism — there is nothing extraneous in his furniture, exemplified in his sleek PK 22 Chair for Fritz Hansen. A rare sofa model PK-31/3 3-Seater sofa in original cognac leather upholstery and matte finish steel frame. Poul Kjærholm’s modular PK31 series included an armchair in a perfect 76cm cube and 2 or 3-seater sofas, created by connecting the individual seating units to a steel bar base. Such was Kjærholm’s desire to preserve purity of form that the individual modules can be seen when viewed from the back. Produced by E. Kold Christensen, Denmark, 1958. From Studio Schalling on Incollect. PK9 Chair by Poul Kjærholm for E. Kold Christensen, Denmark, 1960. Kjærholm’s designs are notably distanced from the warm, craftsman-based aesthetic of his forebears in Scandinavian modern design, but convey the same clarity of expression and dedication to uncompromising quality. He became known for his rigorously pared-down style, incorporating steel in an elegant, fluid fashion. From Donzella on Incollect.