Although Lassen’s (1901-1987) primary focus was architecture – having designed villas, high-rise buildings, sports complexes and shop interiors – he also contributed significant furniture and home accessory designs. After training as a bricklayer from 1919 to 1923, Lassen attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts’ School of Architecture. He also trained at a number of drawing offices, including that of Danish architect Tyge Hvass from 1925 to 1934.

 

Lassen’s sojourn in Paris from 1927 to 1928 sparked the architect’s interest in Le Corbusier’s ideas about rethinking home interiors, for instance by adding mezzanine floors in high-ceilinged rooms. Applying a similar, experimental approach, Lassen designed homes whose rooms were shaped by both function and the daylight flooding in through the windows, and where outdoor spaces were just as carefully designed as the interiors.

Like his architecture, Lassen’s furniture designs showcased his interest in diverse materials and his ability to express his ideas through both natural and man-made materials. His simple, functional wooden furniture, like the folding Egyptian Table, have gone on to become furniture classics, while his 1930s works in steel continue to serve as original examples of the innovations of international modernism. As an exhibition architect for the “Permanent Exhibition of Danish Applied Arts and Industrial Design” in Copenhagen from 1939 to 1967, Lassen was behind a number of exhibitions whose style of presentation helped Danish applied art win international recognition.

 

In 1971, the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts awarded Lassen the C.F. Hansen Medal for his outstanding contribution to architecture.