Preben Fabricis (1931 - 1984) Danish furniture and interior designer

Three-seat sofa designed by Preben Fabricus and Jorgen Kastholm. This sofa is executed in steel with the back and loose cushions upholstered in well patinated brown leather. It also has neck cushions that need to be mounted on the wall. The sofa’s distinctive L shape gives it its sleek and minimalistic style, circa 1960s

Designed furniture for the United Nations in New York

Preben Fabricius (1931-1984), a Danish furniture designer who collaborated with Jørgen Kastholm, was born in Denmark. During the 1960s, the duo designed a wide range of items for German furniture manufacturer Alfred Kill, who had a factory in Fellbach near Stuttgart.

Education

From 1957 to 1959, he attended Copenhagen’s Skolen for Boligindretning.

Biography

In 1952, he worked as a cabinetmaker for Finn Juhl, designing chairs for the United Nations headquarters in New York. He was a collaborator with Jørgen Kasthol from 1962 to 1970. He taught furniture design at Skolen for Boligindretning since 1967. In 1968, he opened his own office, Holte, in the same building as Kastholm’s.

BO-561 Lounge chairs by Preben Fabricius and Jørgen Kastholm for Bo-Ex designed in 1962

Ivan Schlechter, Copenhagen, made his 1962 Scimitar Chair 63 (designed with Kastholm), which looks like a tractor seat. Kill, and Arnold Exclusiv were responsible for other furniture designs.

Recognition

In 1969, he was awarded the Illum Prize, the Bundespreis for “Good Industrial Form,” and the Erster Prize. Scimitar Chair 63 was first exhibited in 1963 at the Charlottenborg Museum in Copenhagen as part of the ‘New Forms’ exhibition and was later included in the 1966 ‘Vijftig Jaar Zitten’ exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the 1968 ‘Les Assises du siege contemporain’ exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Other Works

Early production high back "Bird" chair, FK 6725 for Kill International designed by Jørgen Kastholm and Preben Fabricius — Early production high back “Bird” chair, FK 6725 for Kill International designed by Jørgen Kastholm and Preben Fabricius

Lounge chair with blue upholstery designed by Jørgen Kastholm & Preben Fabricus. Featuring a leather-wrapped frame with down-filled cushions on a stainless steel frame.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.

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