Limited-edition Wegner Wishbone Chair commemorates the design master’s birthday

Carl Hansen & Son celebrates Hans J. Wegner’s 104^th birthday on April 2 with a special edition of his iconic #wishbonechair in Ancient Oak, available only April 2-3, 2018.

Carl Hansen & Son is adding yet another chapter to the history of Hans J. Wegner’s legendary Wishbone Chair with the presentation of the #design icon in Ancient Oak.

The ever-current #hansjwegner would have turned 104 on April 2, 2018. As a tribute to the great master of chair #design, Carl Hansen & Son is presenting his coveted #wishbonechair in a unique edition: Ancient Oak, which is oak that has been specially treated to recreate the strength, warmth and dark-brown color of its thousand-year-old bog oak counterpart. The chair, which features a natural woven paper cord seat, will only be available April 2-3, 2018, with a brass plate engraved with Wegner’s signature and a certificate of authenticity.

In celebration of Hans J. Wegner’s birthday, Carl Hansen & Son is crafting his iconic Wishbone Chair in a new edition that, with its intense, warm glow, naturally joins the Nordic #design universe. This special edition has been named Ancient Oak in reference to the exceptionally well-preserved, thousand-year-old pieces of oak occasionally found in peat bogs. Such oak acquires distinctive characteristics through its contact with the iron salts in the bog – and is quite rare. Employing modern processing and dyeing techniques, Carl Hansen & Son has recreated the characteristic look and qualities of bog oak with the Ancient Oak variant.

"The resulting refined expression, deep, warm color, and strength match the elegance of the #wishbonechair and beautifully harmonize with its natural woven paper cord seat. Ancient Oak complements Hans J. Wegner’s organic #design and emphasises the furniture designer’s innovative vision,” says Carl Hansen & Son CEO, Knud Erik Hansen, who looks forward to presenting this unique birthday edition of the #wishbonechair. 

With the exclusive, special-edition #wishbonechair, Carl Hansen & Son adds yet another chapter to the story of the unique collaboration between furniture designer and manufacturer – a story that began nearly seven decades ago. Together, Carl Hansen & Son and Wegner created a series of furniture classics and collectors’ items. The #wishbonechair, or CH24, was one of the first five chairs Wegner designed for Carl Hansen & Son, alongside the CH22, CH23, CH25 and CH26. With its strong, graphic expression, advanced elements, and complex #design, the #wishbonechair quickly gained iconic status, and has been instrumental in cementing Wegner’s position as a leading figure in Danish furniture #design history.

A unique cultural heritage

"Hans J. Wegner has left a unique cultural heritage that continues to inspire and that we need to protect. His furniture has the potential to be challenged and reimagined in new materials. This is what we have done with the new Ancient Oak variant, which will be of particular interest to collectors and Wegner enthusiasts,” explains Knud Erik Hansen.

Wegner first designed the #wishbonechair, known for its distinctive wishbone-shaped backrest, in 1949, and the chair has been in continuous production since 1950. It is the result of an intense and uncompromising partnership between Wegner and the skilled craftsmen who contributed to the design’s demanding development work. Almost 70 years after coming into existence, the #wishbonechair continues to place great demands on Carl Hansen & Son’s skilled craftsmen, who handle and manually assemble the chair’s 14 parts and hand-weave the seat from 120 meters of paper cord before the finished chair can leave the furniture factory in Gelsted, on the Danish island of Funen.

Special edition with engraved signature

The special-edition #wishbonechair in Ancient Oak features a natural woven paper cord seat and will only be available on April 2-3, 2018. All chairs purchased over the course of these two days will come with a brass plate engraved with Hans J. Wegner’s signature and date of birth, and discreetly placed on the inside of the chair’s frame. The engraving reproduces Wegner’s signature with a high degree of detail, paying respect to the master designer’s own high craftsmanship standards. 

Special edition available in stores and online

The special-edition #wishbonechair in Ancient Oak can be purchased from all authorized Carl Hansen & Son dealers and in Carl Hansen & Son flagship stores.