Børge Mogensen: Simplicity and Function

Børge Mogensen (1914–1972) was one of the most important and influential representatives of Danish furniture design. In more than thirty years, he created a wealth of quality furniture, many pieces of which are sold as design classics to this day, for example his Spanish Chair. Influenced by traditional craftsmanship, he was also often inspired by Shaker furniture. He noted down all of his ideas immediately―whether on matchboxes, napkins, or used envelopes. This magnificent monograph examines Mogensen’s interesting approach and presents his most well known and most popular pieces of furniture. Workshop drawings, sketches, and photographs of his furniture as well as pictures from his everyday life permit fascinating insight into the world of the Danish designer, whose furniture is not only more than attractive but also one thing in particular: functional. (German edition ISBN 978-3-7757-4210-8)

Borge Mogensen (1914–72) opened his own design office in 1950, quickly becoming one of the designers that defined the Danish Modern style in the popular imagination with his clean and highly functional aesthetic. He eschewed fashion and excessively expensive materials, aiming first and foremost to create simple and practical furniture. He put this philosophy into practice in his design work for the Danish cooperative supermarket chain FDB, which offered high-quality, beautifully designed furniture to the Danish customer at affordable prices.