Kaare Klint
The founder of modern Danish design.
Architect and professor Kaare Klint was a pioneer in the field of Danish Modern design and became one of the most influential designers of his time.
Kaare Klint (1888–1954) is renowned as the founder of modern Danish design. He pioneered a new approach whereby design was created with human proportions in mind and a strong focus on function. Based on this approach, Klint created a series of iconic design-led products and paved the way for a new generation of Danish designers who flourished during the Danish Modern period.
Klint’s design strikes a harmonious balance between form and materials, embodying a unique relationship between the furniture and its environment. He was renowned for his simple, timeless design, and uncompromising dedication to craftsmanship, which results in his furniture remaining in high demand today.
With an exceptional ability to create designs based on principles from which he never deviated, Klint focused on measuring and simplifying previous furniture designs and then adapting them to human proportions. He believed in cutting out superfluous elements in the design process to leave the essence of the furniture.
Kaare Klint was born and raised in Copenhagen. As the son of architect Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint, who designed the Grundtvig Church in Copenhagen, among other works, Klint cut his teeth on concepts of functional aesthetics. This prompted him to adopt a mathematically based approach to his work as a designer and later as a teacher.
In 1924, Klint co-founded the School of Furniture Design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. The following year he was promoted to associate professor, and later to professor. As both a teacher and designer, he helped inspire and shape a new generation of designers and architects, many of whom have achieved world-wide renown today, including Hans J. Wegner, Mogens Koch, Arne Jacobsen and Poul Kjærholm.
At the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts’ School of Furniture Design, Klint became known for his studies of proportions. Together with his students, he conducted a ground-breaking study of everyday objects. Everything was measured in exacting detail, and the results were compared to specific requirements for functionality.
Today, Klint is considered a reformer in his field: As one of the first designers and professors to prioritise functionality and practical studies of architectural principles over style, he helped to break with the style-focused teaching of the time.
Klint was aware of the relationship between design and surroundings, insisting that his designs must never dominate a space, but should unite form and function while taking account of the whole. In all his works, Klint insistently pursued a clear, logical design and a distinctive style, using exquisite materials and superb workmanship.
During his career, Klint received several awards, including the Eckersberg Medal in 1928 and the C. F. Hansen Medal in 1954. In 1949, he received the honorary title of Royal Designer for Industry in London.
“Only slowly does it dawn on people that modern furniture must be designed on the basis of practical necessities,”
- Kaare Klint in the Arkitekten trade journal, 1930.
As a tribute to the woodworking craft, Carl Hansen & Søn is now relaunching two of Kaare Klint’s absolute masterpieces: the English Chair and the Spherical Bed. These are the most time-consuming and complex furniture pieces to craft in the collection.
Kaare Klint Collection
Explore the collection
Explore the full collection of designs created by Kaare Klint, one of the masters of the Golden Age.
Our designers
Hans J. Wegner
Danish furniture designer Hans J. Wegner (1914-2007) is considered one of the most creative, innovative, and prolific designers of all times, renowned for his precision, great insight into craftsmanship and uncompromising approach to design.
Ole Wanscher
Ole Wanscher was integral to the aesthetic and functionality of modern Danish design. Having studied under Kaare Klint, he helped shape Danish furniture design as a designer and as an educator when he took over Klint’s professorship at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
Poul Kjærholm
Poul Kjærholm (1929–1980) was an influential Danish designer known for his functionalist, uncompromising approach, his use of innovative materials and his international outlook rooted in the Danish craftmanship tradition.
Tadao Ando
Japanese architect Tadao Ando bases his work on a design philosophy that unites Japanese design traditions with modern Western expression. Inspired by Le Corbusier, Ando’s style is minimalistic and innovative, with a focus on functionality.
Rikke Frost
Rikke Frost (b.1973) is recognised for her profound knowledge of materials and for how she combines different craft traditions. This is clearly reflected in her portfolio of designs, where contemporary and traditional design axioms and materials converge in organically styled furniture and lighting.
Fabricius & Kastholm
Function and minimalism were the watchwords for Danish designers Preben Fabricius (1931–1984) and Jørgen Kastholm (1931–2007), when this design duo created a wide collection of design-led furniture and lighting of international renown.
Frits Henningsen
Frits Henningsen was an uncompromising designer known for his perfectionism and vibrant personality. He gave new expression to traditional designs and viewed quality craftsmanship as essential. Unlike most cabinetmakers, he always designed his own furniture pieces.
Strand & Hvass
The Strand + Hvass duo is part of a new breed of Danish designers whose work continues in a direct line from their celebrated predecessors. With the Extend Table design, they infused the modern Danish furniture tradition with a bold new expression.
EOOS
The design studio EOOS, founded by Martin Bergmann (b. 1963), Gernot Bohmann (b. 1968) and Harald Gründl (b. 1967), enjoys a reputation for its poetic approach to design.
Thomas Bo Kastholm
Thomas Bo Kastholm creates designs that unite diverse materials into compelling compositions with clear purpose. The TK8 Daybed, with its close ties to the core principles of classic, modern Danish design, exemplifies Kastholm’s ideals.
Morten Gøttler
Morten Gøttler (b.1944) is a Danish designer with a unique appreciation of materials, form and functionality.
Mogens Lassen
Architect Mogens Lassen created works rooted in cubist architectural ideals inspired by Le Corbusier. Considered a pioneer of functionalism in Denmark, Lassen’s designs showcased his ability to express ideas through diverse materials.
Anker Bak
Designer and cabinetmaker Anker Bak (b. 1983) is known for his problem-solving and human-centric design approach.
Arne Jacobsen
As one of Denmark's most famous and renowned architects, Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971) is synonymous with modernism both in Denmark and abroad, where his stringent and expressive style became characteristic of his architectural and design work as a whole.
Børge Mogensen
Cabinetmaker and designer Børge Mogensen (1914-1972) created durable and simple furniture with a focus on people and is today regarded as one of the most influential representatives of Danish Modern.
Bodil Kjær
Danish professor and architect Bodil Kjær has significantly contributed to the spread of Danish Modern design principles through her travels, knowledge gathering and promotion of the relationship between design and architecture.
Bonderup & Thorup
Claus Bonderup (1943–2022) and Torsten Thorup (b.1944) are regarded as some of the most prolific post-modern designers, leaving their mark on everything from architecture and international design projects to industrial design.
Mads Odgård
The Danish industrial designer Mads Odgård (b. 1960) is known for his minimalist design approach with straight lines, geometric shapes and rationalism.
Nanna Ditzel & Jørgen Ditzel
Her desire to explore spaces and experiment with techniques on the edge of what is possible led Nanna Ditzel – one of Danish design’s most distinctive personalities – to become acquainted with the entire design universe.
When you choose a product from Carl Hansen & Søn, you get more than just a piece of furniture. You will become part of a long and proud tradition of beautiful and distinctive craftsmanship where nothing is left to chance. We are the world’s largest manufacturer of furniture designed by Hans J. Wegner, and we also produce furniture created by renowned furniture designers such as Arne Jacobsen, Børge Mogensen, Ole Wanscher, Kaare Klint, Poul Kjærholm, Bodil Kjær and Tadao Ando. Carl Hansen & Søn represents more than 100 years of Danish design history, and our furniture is sold worldwide.
* Five-year warranty on indoor furniture. Two-year warranty on outdoor furniture
