Wishbone chair

The Wishbone Chair, also known as the CH24 Chair or Y Chair is a chair designed by Hans Wegner in 1949 for Carl Hansen & Søn. The chair features a bentwood armrest and a paper cord rope seat in a woven envelope pattern. The chair is named after the Y or wishbone-shaped backrest. The design was inspired by Ming-era chairs.[1]

Wishbone chair
DesignerHans Wegner
Date1949
Made inDenmark
Style / traditionDanish
Height29.5 inches (75 cm)
Width21.75 inches (55.2 cm)
Depth20 inches (51 cm)

The chair, Wegner's best selling design is a notable example of Danish furniture design.[2][3] The chair has been in continuous production since its original release. The chair is especially popular in Japan, where sales in the country account for more than a quarter of the annual production.[4] There is an entire book dedicated to the chair published in the Japanese language.[5]

[The Wishbone chair] is an understated work of simplicity and comfort, its graceful shape hinting at both East Asian design and modernist ideals.

— Hans Wegner's obituary in The New York Times[6]

History
Inspirations for the Wishbone Chair
Wooden chairs from the Ming Dynasty
Hans Wegner's first Chinese Chair
Wegner's Fourth China Chair

In 1948, Holger Hansen of Carl Hansen & Søn and Mogens Tuck of Andreas Tuck together commissioned Wegner to produce nine pieces of furniture. Wegner would create four tables for Andreas Tuck and four chairs and a sideboard for Carl Hansen & Søn. The companies worked closely together and benefited from being able to market their chairs and tables together. [7]

Wegner produced CH22, CH23, CH24, and CH25 for the chairs and CH304 for the sideboard.[7] CH24, soon to be known as the Wishbone Chair, was an iteration of Wegner's Chinese Chair series. The Chinese Chairs were produced for Fritz Hansen starting in 1944 and took inspiration from the round wooden seats of Ming China.

Hansen was originally displeased with Wegner's designs, which he felt looked like garden furniture, and the complexity of the manufacturing required to put the items into production. The manufacturing process was beyond the scope of Carl Hansen & Søn's factory; the back legs of the Wishbone chair had to be turned by a sub-supplier and the steam bending of the top bar had to be done at an outside factory.[7] Nevertheless, all of the chair designs went into production the following year.[7] The Wishbone Chair became his greatest commercial success and has remained in continuous production.[2]

In the mid-1990s, Carl Hansen & Søn increased the seat height of the chair by 2 cm to reflect the increase in height of the European and American populations purchasing the chair.[4] The chair in its original dimensions is still produced and sold in Asia.[8]

Each year, Carl Hansen & Son releases a limited edition of the chair for Wegner's birthday. In 2018, they released a dark oak wood.[9] In 2019, they released a version with a leather seat.[10] In 2020, they released the chair in navy blue.[11]

  • Wishbone Chair in white
    Wishbone Chair in white
  • Close up view
    Close up view
  • The Wishbone Chair on display
    The Wishbone Chair on display
  • Limited edition Wishbone Chair with leather seat
    Limited edition Wishbone Chair with leather seat
  • Wishbone Chair with accessory seat covers on display
    Wishbone Chair with accessory seat covers on display
  • Wishbone Chairs on display at Illums Bolighus
    Wishbone Chairs on display at Illums Bolighus

References
  1. "Hans J. Wegner | Wishbone Chair". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  2. "Dezeen's A-Zdvent calendar: "Y-chair" by Hans J Wegner". Dezeen. 2014-12-24. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
  3. Richardson, Lucy Ryder (2016-12-08). 102 Midcentury Chairs: and their stories. Pavilion Books. ISBN 9781911216803.
  4. britta (2012-11-12). "The Wishbone Chair – a behind-the-scenes look at a classic". Gertsen PR. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  5. "Yチェアの秘密". 株式会社誠文堂新光社 (in Japanese). 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  6. Colman, David (2007-02-06). "Hans Wegner Dies at 92; Danish Furniture Designer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  7. Motzkus, Frank (2008). By design. Carl Hansen & Son, 100 Years of Craftsmanship. Copenhagen: Carl Hansen & Son.
  8. "Product – Danish-Design.com". Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  9. "Limited-edition of the Wishbone Chair - Carl Hansen & Søn". professional.carlhansen.com. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  10. Luckel, Madeleine. "Carl Hansen Is Releasing a Limited Edition Wishbone Chair on Hans Wegner's Birthday". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  11. www.carlhansen.com. "CH24 Birthday Edition | Press Room | Carl Hansen & Søn". www.carlhansen.com. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
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