Børge Mogensen (1914 – 1972) Danish Furniture Designer

In: Chair Design, Decorative & Applied Arts, Design News, Designers, Furniture Design, Furniture Designer
Tagged: , ,

Børge Mogensen (1914 – 1972) was a Danish furniture designer. 

Education

1936-38, studied Kunsthåndværkerskolen, Copenhagen, and 1938-42, furniture, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi, Copenhagen, under Kaare Klint. This solid foundation in design education greatly contributed to his future success as Børge Mogensen. 

Biography of Børge Mogensen

Between 1942 and 50, he was chair of the furniture design department of the Association of Danish Cooperative Wholesale Societies, where he designed simple utilitarian pieces. 

Spanish Chair Børge Mogensen for Fredericia Furniture
Spanish Chair Børge Mogensen for Fredericia Furniture

1945-47, he was an assistant to Kaare Klint at Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi. 

1945-46, he worked with Hans Wegner on numerous projects. At the same time, Børge Mogensen was establishing his unique design aesthetic. 

In 1950, he opened his own office in Copenhagen. Mogensen worked for various architects, including Mogens Koch and Kaare Klint, 1938-42. 

In 1962 with Klint, he designed school furniture. He was a design consultant to Karl Andersson, Søborg Møbelfabrik, Fredericia Stolefabrik, Hüskvarna, P. Lauritsen, and Erhard Rasmussen. 

Soborg Chair - Wood Frame Børge Mogensen for Fredericia Furniture
Soborg Chair – Wood Frame Børge Mogensen for Fredericia Furniture

From 1953, he was an artistic consultant to C. Olesen. He designed wooden furniture combined with leather and fabric; the fabric was designed with Lis Ahlmann. He designed traditional types of Chinese furniture, Windsor chairs, and Shaker models. They were practical and popular, and some are still in production today. 

J39 Chair by Børge Morgensen featured image
J39 Chair by Børge Morgensen featured image

Mogensen is best known for his 1964 Asserbo Chair 504, produced by Karl Andersson of Hüskvarna. After extensively researching the ideal proportions and standardised measurements for daily-use objects, Børge Mogensen designed the 0resund system with Grethe Meyer. 

Recognition of Børge Mogensen

1938-62, his work was shown at the ‘Copenhagen Cabinet-makers’ Guild’s annual exhibitions and those of the Danish Society of Arts and Crafts and Industrial Design. Børge Mogensen’s contributions were highly appreciated in these exhibitions. 

His work was included in the 1968 ‘Two Centuries of Danish Design’ at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 

He received awards, including; 

  • the 1945 Bissen Legacy, 
  • 1950 Eckersberg Medal, 
  • 1953 Dansk K0bestaevne (Danish Trade Fair) Silver Medal, 
  • 1958 Copenhagen Cabinet-makers’ Guild Award of Honour, and 
  • 1971 Danish furniture prize. 
  • In 1972, elected Honorary Royal Designer for Industry. This honour reflected the lasting impact of Børge Mogensen on the design industry. 

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL

More on Danish Designers

Discover more from Encyclopedia of Design

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.