A particularly appealing example of Kristian Solmer Vedel's Child's Chair, designed in 1957 and produced in Denmark by Torben Ørskov & Co.

Vedel approached children's furniture quite differently from simply producing smaller versions of adult designs. The chair was conceived as a flexible piece of furniture that could change according to the age and needs of the child. Its semi-circular bent plywood shell is pierced with a series of horizontal slots into which the removable plywood elements can be positioned at different heights, allowing the chair to be adapted and used in a number of different configurations.

The design forms part of the permanent collections of several major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Museum examples date the design to 1957 and identify Torben Ørskov & Co. as the original manufacturer.

Our example retains its original blue painted seat together with an unusually long white painted tray. The elongated form of the tray differs from the smaller table elements more commonly encountered with the chair, but its construction, surface and considerable period wear are entirely consistent with the rest of the piece. The design was conceived as a modular system with removable and interchangeable elements, and documented examples survive with different configurations. We believe the tray is original to the chair.

The chair has a wonderful original character. The bent plywood shell has been carefully cleaned and waxed but not refinished, retaining the dings, dents, marks and surface variations accumulated through decades of use. The plywood has developed a particularly rich golden-brown colour with considerable depth and warmth.

Both the blue seat and white tray retain their original painted surfaces and show considerably more wear. The edges in particular have worn through repeated removal and repositioning within the slots of the plywood shell. Rather than detracting from the piece, we particularly like this evidence of use. It makes immediately apparent that this was once a functional piece of children's furniture rather than an object that has simply survived untouched.

Although originally conceived as a practical and adaptable chair for children, we would not recommend using this particular vintage example as a child's chair today. For us, it is now much more interesting as an object of Danish design: compact, sculptural and ingenious in its construction, while retaining the considerable patina and character acquired through its original use.

Viewing is warmly welcomed at our West London showroom.

High-resolution photographs, detailed condition reports and video inspections are available upon request.

We offer local, national and international shipping.

Please contact us for further information or to arrange a private viewing.