Design icon: &Tradition Little Petra

With its sweeping curves and soft upholstery, the Little Petra is a lounge chair that instantly grab your attention. Discovered by &Tradition in the Danish design archives, it sadly never gained the notoriety of many other pieces of Danish design when it was first released. This was also reflected in the relative anonymity of its unassuming designer Viggo Boesen. Join us to discover the story of both the man and his chair.

Who was Viggo Boesen?

An architect and furniture designer in 1930s Copenhagen, Viggo Boesen worked alongside some of Denmark’s most celebrated designers including Finn Juhl and Arne Jacobsen during his career. However, he never shared the fame of these icons of Danish designs.

Boesen was a quiet man who valued his privacy, and although he most certainly shared the skill of his colleagues, he preferred to live more anonymously. He approached his life in accordance with a certain set of principles: living in balance with nature, taking only as much as you need and enjoying the small things.

This visionary way of thinking set him apart from his colleagues and allowed Boesen to view the world around him in a unique way. Alongside his work as an architect and a cabinetmaker, Boesen was a keen photographer who used film to capture and share his view of the world. Although there is not much written about Boesen thanks to his relative anonymity at the time, his photographs give us a window into the man he was.

Alongside friends and family, Boesen travelled Europe in a Volkswagen van, documenting these trips on film. His photos from these trips are detailed, fun and contemplative – often focused on nature. He captured the simple beauty of water, trees, mountains, and beaches, whilst injecting a sense of fun with humorous portraits of his family and friends – signifying the simple enjoyment he found in life. You can see a selection of Boesen’s photographs in the &Tradition journal.

Funkis style

In the years leading up to WWII, the design world was changing. Across the world, the preference was turning toward a design aesthetic which prioritised function and practicality, inspired by the Bauhaus school and Mies van der Rohe’s famous tagline of ‘form follows function’. However, in Scandinavia, things were done slightly differently.

Many designers, especially in Denmark, preferred a softer take on this functional style – one with more organic lines and less of a focus on minimalism. This style was affectionally coined ‘Funkis’ and Viggo Boesen’s work is a perfect example of everything it stood for.

In contrast to the mass-produced materials and less-is-more philosophy favoured by the Bauhaus, Boesen brought a soft, warm approach to his designs. This can be clearly seen in the design of the Little Petra lounge chair, a piece which is streamlined, functional and compact but also favours soft upholstery and organic lines. Boesen was early adopter of this approach which came to define Danish design in the following years.

The forgetten gem

Launched in 1938, Boesen’s Little Petra instantly captured the attention of the design world, gaining praise at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers Guild Exhibition and winning awards in New York and Berlin.

Named ‘Little Petra’ after Boesen’s mother-in-law, the chair’s petite frame and beautifully curved backrest create a cosy, cocooned, welcoming seat. Low to the ground, the chair has a surprisingly compact footprint – providing lounge chair level comfort on an accessible scale. It was these features that made the chair so popular and soon Boesen began producing the Little Petra in collaboration with highly regarded cabinetmaker A.J. Iversen.

In the 1930s, furniture was often produced on a small scale, and it was common to ask a skilled carpenter to produce bespoke pieces of furniture for you – just like you would a tailor for a suit. A.J. Iversen was one of Denmark’s most popular cabinetmakers at the time, an award-winning craftsman who had a premises in one of Copenhagen’s most desirable postcodes.

It was here that the Little Petra was made-to-order by hand by Iversen. Due to the level of craftsmanship required to craft each piece and the resulting price tag, only 30 pieces were ever made in the original production run. After many years of obscurity, &Tradition relaunched the Little Petra in 2018 and design lovers could once again get their hands on this forgotten gem.

How it’s made

Today, &Tradition follow Boesen’s original drawings to ensure the Little Petra is crafted to perfection. Every chair begins life as a wooden frame, crafted from high-quality solid beech and plywood. This frame allows for the creation of the open, rounded shape of the chair, which is then upholstered for comfort.

First a layer of multi-density polyurethane foam is added to the frame before a final layer of polyester wadding is used to finesse the shape of the chair. This dual covering creates an incredibly comfortable seat, perfect for hours of lounging. Solid wood legs are now added, turned and CNC milled into shape from one piece of solid oak or walnut.

Finally, the chair is carefully upholstered, and matching fabric buttons are carefully meticulously placed by hand to provide the finishing touch. From soft white sheepskin to durable wool, which fabric would you choose for the Little Petra?

Special edition brass

Only for Autumn 2022, &Tradition have released a limited-edition version of the Little Petra featuring oiled walnut legs and beautifully crafted solid brass feet. This combination has been especially chosen by the in-house design team to compliment a Moonlight sheepskin upholstery. Get yours before 31st December 2022.

Inspired by the Little Petra? Visit our product page to discover more about the finishes on offer. Need a hand? To talk to one of the Nest team, please email info@nest.co.uk, call 0114 243 3000 or send us a message on LiveChat.