In 1914, at just 26 years of age, Kaare Klint collaborated with architect Carl Petersen to design a unique furniture set for the Faaborg Museum, which was officially inaugurated in 1915. The joint effort resulted in the birth of the Faaborg Chair – a design that would later prove to be the first modern Danish design classic.

The Faaborg Chair ushered in a new era for Danish design, creating a foundation for its development and for what we now associate with the Danish Modern phenomenon, which put Danish design on the world map in the 1950s.

As the Faaborg Chair celebrates its 100th anniversary, one sees the extent to which Kaare Klint’s oeuvre in general – and the Faaborg Chair in particular – advanced the evolution from neoclassicism to modernism, and why Klint’s works are regarded as hallmarks of Danish furniture design. The Faaborg Chair is, to this day, an integral part of the gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) that is the Faaborg Museum, where the 18 historic chairs remain on permanent display in the large exhibition hall.

For generations, the Faaborg Chair has been manufactured by the Rud. Rasmussen joinery – a workshop renowned for its uncompromising approach to traditional furniture craftsmanship and its dedication to creating design classics of unsurpassed quality since 1869. Knud Erik Hansen, owner of Rud. Rasmussen and Carl Hansen & Søn, notes: “Our acquisition of Rud. Rasmussen was an affair of the heart – one that reflects our desire to honor Danish craftsmanship traditions and tell the story of Danish furniture classics. We have big ambitions of expanding awareness of this era in Danish design history, particularly the first 30 years of the 20^th century – a period in which Denmark’s oldest joinery and Kaare Klint’s Faaborg Chair played central roles.”

David Obel Rosenkvist, CEO of Rud. Rasmussen, adds: “Rud. Rasmussen has epitomized quality craftsmanship for generations, and we will continue to stand for the highest standards of Danish cabinetmaking. Kaare Klint valued skilled, flawless carpentry workmanship, and enjoyed a close working relationship with Rud. Rasmussen, which has produced the Faaborg Chair for decades. The chair’s centennial offers the perfect occasion to pay tribute to Denmark’s first modern design classic created by the father of Danish furniture design.”

Ten-piece special edition in elm burr
In celebration of the centennial, Rud. Rasmussen is releasing a special edition of the Faaborg Chair. Like the original, it is crafted from burr wood, which forms when a tree’s fibers bend, twist, and become intertwined during growth, creating irregular patterns. The special edition uses burr from an elm that stood in Rud. Rasmussen’s back courtyard for 100 years and was felled 25 years ago. An elm with a unique history that Rud. Rasmussen was saving for the right occasion.

The chair's iconic rounded backrest will be crafted from the unique elm burr – a material that, due to the wood’s unusual structure and grain pattern, is difficult to work with and demands great insight and patience from craftsmen. The legs will be crafted from solid elm; the cross-pieces from elm veneer. As with the original, there will be emphasis on selecting wood for each part of the chair to highlight the one-of-a-kind nature and grain of each piece of wood. Unique to this edition, the seat will be made of French rattan like the back and sides – exactly like the original.

The special edition comprises just ten unique pieces and will be on display as part of an international traveling exhibition in 2015. Initially, these chairs will not be offered for sale.

Numbered anniversary edition in walnut
As part of the centennial celebration, Rud. Rasmussen is also launching an anniversary edition of the Faaborg Chair made of walnut and featuring an oil-treated surface and a seat upholstered in exclusive black Niger leather. The first 100 of these will be numbered.