Pk22 Chair – Poul Kjaerholm’s Classic of the Design World

The PK22 has a simple shape that has become a classic in design. The famous chair shows Poul Kjaerholm’s vision and his search for the best shape and size. It is still a very modern chair for people who like design.

Overview of the Design

A discrete steel frame supports the leather-covered seat of Poul Kjaerholm, Pk22 lounge chair. The chair was made of spring steel legs, crossbars, and side frames attached with machine screws and covered in canvas, leather, or cane. The seat and back were fitted with a laced canvas underlayer to provide support in both the canvas and leather versions. Folded over the chair, the canvas or leather covering was fastened with hidden buttons. The cane version covered the frame in 2.5 mm rattan core strands, providing surface and structure in a single material layer.

Origin of the Pk22 Chair

The 1956 release of the PK 22 lounge chair resulted in an instant commercial and critical success. A five-year process ended with PK 22, but Kjaerholm’s work also entered a new phase. He developed the steel structure in PK 25, which he had created in 1951 for this project. He used the profile of the earlier chair for PK 22, but he divided the continuous steel frame into repeating parts.

Fixing PK25’s Issues

Kjaerholm updated his PK 25 chair to make it more comfortable. He took out the hard bars from the front and top. He put them below the seat instead. PK 22 became a chair that was both practical and well-designed. He used machine screws in furniture for the first time.

Designer’s Background

Poul Kjærholm was a Danish designer born in 1929 and died in 1980. He liked to work with steel. Kjærholm got married in 1953 and had a successful career in teaching. He also worked for his friend Ejvind and made many types of furniture. He won several awards, including the Lunning Prize for his PK22 chair.

PK24 Chair

In 1965, he made another chair called the PK24 Chaise Longue. This chair showed his mature style. He also won the Danish ID Prize in 1967 and led the Institute for Architecture in 1976. His friend E. Kold Christensen made his furniture in Hellerup.

Materials Used

The chair has a chrome-plated steel frame. You can choose to have it covered in leather or woven cane.

Construction Techniques

The chair is simple but effective. It has two leg pieces made from a single strip of steel. Two crossbars connect these legs. The seat is simple, and the backrest is simple but curved slightly.

Good Design Test – Pk22 Chair

The PK22 is an excellent example of a well-designed piece. You can tell because there is nothing to add or subtract to improve it.

Source

25 Beautiful Homes August 2015. (2015, August). Internet Archive. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://archive.org/details/25_Beautiful_Homes_August_2015_UK

Living Etc November 2015. (2015, November). Internet Archive. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://archive.org/details/Living_Etc_November_2015

Miller. (n.d.). 20th-century design : the definitive illustrated sourcebook. Internet Archive. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://archive.org/details/20thcenturydesig0000mill

PK22^TM chair in leather designed by Poul Kjærholm – Fritz Hansen. (n.d.). Fritz Hansen. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://www.fritzhansen.com/en/categories/by-series/PK22/PK22/?sku=PK22-ELWAL-SBSS

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