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Poul Kjaerholm - Cabinetmaker to Modernist Icon - Part Six

Designer: Poul Kjaerholm

As the 50’s became the 60’s, Kjærholm began work on designing another table and chair set and in the latter part of 1960, the PK 9 Chair appeared. But, on this occasion, there was no refinement or re-engineering of an existing classic that could be used for inspiration, this chair was truly unique and would go on to be considered as one of the greats of the 20th century. The seat was formed of moulded fibreglass and then covered in leather and was loosely based around his Moulded Aluminium Chair design of ’53. (Had he begun to inspire himself?)

Kjaerholm PK9 Chair

The base of the PK 9 is built with three, curved lengths of sprung steel which were then connected to each other and to the underside of the seat with the, by now, omnipresent Allen bolt. With its organic and fluid lines, the appearance of the PK 9 was certainly a stark contrast from the rigid and straight profiles he had been producing of late but, again, the construction and legibility of the design was there for all to see.

[caption id="attachment_1821" style="text-align: center;" width="480"]PK91 Stool The PK91 Stool[/caption]

Another key Kjærholm piece began development in 1961 and was the clearest indication yet of the research he put into understanding and then redeveloping historical models of furniture whilst teaching at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts through ‘55 to ‘59. It’s also possible that this way of thinking had trickled down a little earlier to Kjærholm whilst studying under Hans J Wegner who in turn had been tutored by the renowned architect and furniture designer, Kaare Klint; the first lecturer in furniture design at Royal Academy. The folding frame design of Kjærholm’s PK 91 Stool could be linked back to Ancient Egypt and Klint had produced his own folding stool design in 1927The Propeller Stool - based around an example displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Berlin.

Kaare Klint Propeller Stool
Kaare Klint's Propeller Stool from 1927

But, where the folding frame of Klint’s design was finished in wood, Kjærholm chose to construct his model using steel. But not just flat steel, of course; he added the same sublime flourish that Klint had by delicately twisting the steel frame and then applied a ball bearing joint which allowed the stool to be folded completely flat. The seat is finished in either canvas or leather and is discreetly connected to the frame by a length of steel inserted into the seam edge of the seat material which is then clipped over the top edge of the steel frame.

PK54 Table

To accompany the PK 9 Chair, the PK 54 Dining Table went into production in 1963 and re-worked the design of the base of his PK 55 Table into a continuous framework using four cantilevered steel, square frames. The circular top that rested upon the underframe was formed of marble and the 140cm diameter size allowed four PK 9 Chairs to be seated comfortably around it. But, just two elements of natural material (yes, Kjærholm had come to consider steel to be a natural material with the same variables and uniqueness as seen in any other geotic and naturally occurring material) in one product was clearly not enough for Kjaerholm.

PK54A Table

So, he devised an optional way of expanding the circular top to 210cm in diameter by introducing six, interlocking leaves of curved, solid maple wood that could be attached to the edge of the marble top by means of a simple tongue and groove system. The connection of the leaves was then given an extra assurance by O-rings placed on the underside at the join of each leaf. This expanded version of the table became known as the PK 54A and he even designed a discreet, solid maple wood rack as a storage facility for the extension leaves when not in use.

PK54A Table

This beautiful melding and layering of materials, as well as the loading of different shapes, was becoming a key part of Kjærholm’s aesthetic but with every new design he produced, he still managed to keep the volume down on its existence. It just sits there, daring you to try and look past it. The next design he released from the drawing board needn’t worry about attracting an audience: this piece was a neck breaker.

To be continued...