The Chair

The Round Chair (, also known as The Chair in America, The Classic Chair in Britain, and by the model numbers PP501, PP503, JH501, and JH503) is an armchair designed by Hans Wegner in 1949. The chair was a collaboration of Wegner and the now-defunct furniture maker Johannes Hansen. It is still in production today by the Danish furniture manufacturer PP Møbler. The chair features back and armrests made from one continuous semicircle. The finger joints orient the wood grain as the back rail wraps around the body to maximize material strength. The chair is offered with a solid upholstered seat (PP503) or a seat of woven caning (PP501). History and cultural impact In 1949, Wegner planned to present 2 chairs to display at the annual exhibition of the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers' Guild (Danish: Snedkerlauget): the tripartite plywood shell chair and the Folding Chair (JH512). His employer, Johannes Hansen, felt that there were too many plywood chairs on display and instructed Wegner to create a more traditional chair. Wegner created the Round Chair in only 48 hours. The Danish press that attended the event initially paid attention to the tripartite chair. Plywood had become popularized as a furniture material by the Eames and Alvar Alto and they were drawn to the dramatic designs of this new lamination technology. Due to the high production cost, the tripartite chair prototype would never go into production but would remain in Wegner's home.