The original version of the CH20 Elbow Chair was designed in 1956. Hans J. Wegner built a pair of prototypes but decided that producing them would be too intensive, due to the steam-bent backrest, formed from a single piece of solid wood. The prototypes were placed into the archives until 2005 when Carl Hansen & Son decided to reissue the chair.
Technology had advanced significantly in the intervening years, and it was finally possible to produce the striking CH20 at scale. It quickly became a modern classic, defined by the beautiful curve of the backrest that provides elbow and back support, while enabling a variety of different sitting positions.
With his love of natural materials and his deep understanding of the need for furniture to be functional as well as beautiful, Hans J. Wegner (1914-2007) made mid-century Danish design popular on an international scale. He began his career as a cabinetmaker in 1931 and subsequently entered the Copenhagen School of Arts & Crafts. After receiving his architectural degree in 1938, he worked as a designer in Arne Jacobsen and Erik Muller's architectural office before establishing his own office in 1943.
Discover more about Hans J. Wegner's most famous chair design in our CH24 Wishbone chair article.
