One of three furniture pieces created in 1945 by Vilhelm Lauritzen, the Foyer Bench was initially designed for Copenhagen's Radiohuset, which today houses the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Simple in its expression, the bench holds an upholstered cushion with handmade buttons on its solid oak frame. Adapted in length and comfort to present-day needs, the beauty of its original design remains now and for generations to come.
Vilhelm Lauritzen
Vilhelm Lauritzen (1894—1984) is one of the most significant architects in the history of Denmark; he was the trail-blazing figurehead of Danish functionalism. A number of his buildings—Nørrebro Theatre (1931—32), Daells Varehus department store (1928—35), Radiohuset (1936—41) and the first airport built in Kastrup (1937—39) represented the concentrated essence of contemporary life. Other significant buildings to stem from Lauritzen's drawing board include Folkets Hus (1953—56) better known today as the Vega concert venue, the Shellhuset (1950—51) building and the Danish embassy in Washington (1958—60). In particular the Radiohuset building and the earliest version of Kastrup Airport, both listed today, are considered peerless monuments to modernism in the European genre of construction.
Throughout his life, Vilhelm Lauritzen adhered to the principle that architecture is applied art—with equal emphasis on both 'art' and 'applied'. "No life without aesthetics" was another one of Vilhelm Lauritzen's firmly held beliefs.
Vilhelm Lauritzen mastered both daylight and artificial lighting. He consistently involved daylight in his architectural projects by including large south and west-facing windows that neatly mixed warm sunlight with the cooler sky light flowing in through windows facing north and east. It was an approach that shifted focus from the limited wall surfaces in the room itself. People, furnishings and fittings are highlighted and shaded in the sculptural light.
Carl Hansen & Søn Handmade Furniture of Denmark
Founded in 1908, Carl Hansen & Søn has developed into one of Denmark's leading design companies today. With more than a century of history, backed by respect and a passion for traditional craftsmanship, we are one of the oldest manufacturers of high-quality furniture in Denmark, and the biggest manufacturer of furniture designed by Hans J. Wegner.
Carl Hansen & Søn's products embody the narrative of the finest classical furniture art, created by some of Denmark's leading architects and designers—including Frits Henningsen, Kaare Klint, Mogens Koch, Poul Kjærholm and Ole Wanscher—as well as the Japanese architect Tadao Ando and the Austrian design trio EOOS.
With solid foundations in Danish traditions of joinery, blended with deep insight into the latest production technology, we make furniture of durable beauty and value, distinguished by full respect for sustainable materials.
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