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Carl Hansen and Son - the Evolution of Craftsmanship

Carl Hansen and Son - passionate craftsmanship

Excellent product knowledge is of paramount importance in the high standard of customer service that Aram offers. Training is a continuous process and one part of it is visiting our suppliers' factories and showrooms. Last week we had the privilege to go to Denmark at the invitation of Carl Hansen & Son.

After an early flight to Copenhagen we arrived at the Rud Rasmussen workshop in the centre of the city. Rudolph Rasmussen founded his company in 1869 and it remained a family business until Jørgen – the third generation of Rasmussens – sold it to Carl Hansen & Son in December 2011 rather than allow it to close. The acquisition made perfect sense: both companies were family-owned, both were founded on strong principles of outstanding craftsmanship and rational serial production, both involved the close collaboration between architect/designer and cabinet-maker, both produce furniture of the highest quality. It also allowed Carl Hansen to bring designs by Mogens Koch and Kaare Klint into their range, the Folding Chair and the Safari Chair amongst them. Rud Rasmussen work in the same way that Carl Hansen worked ten years ago: a small workforce of highly skilled craftsmen produces every element of furniture by hand in traditional methods – inevitably a relatively slow process.

The Rud Rasmussen workshop in central Copenhagen
The Rud Rasmussen workshop in central Copenhagen

The afternoon was spent at the Carl Hansen showroom in the Valby area of the city, a vast space of industrial heritage – previously the barrel factory for the nearby Carlsburg brewery. Lengthy discussions ensued on the merits of the CH162, CH163 and CH102 sofas, and the beautiful CH110 desk.

The Carl Hansen showroom in Valby, Copenhagen
The Carl Hansen showroom in Valby, Copenhagen

Hans Wegner's CH163 Sofa Hans Wegner's CH163 Sofa

The next morning started early with a drive across Denmark to the factory in Aarup, just outside Odense. When Knud Erik Hansen – Carl's grandson – took over leadership in January 2002, one of the first things that he did was to build a large new factory in order to allow production to take advantage of modern technology. This meant that lead times for the Wishbone Chair, for example, could be reduced from around 12 months to just 3 weeks (for some finishes). The entire workforce of cabinet-makers also made the move from the old Odense workshops to maintain the proud tradition of skilled craftsmanship and grew from 25 to over 90.

Most elements of the wooden furniture arrive from Danish sawmills rough cut to size. Vast CNC milling machines then turn, route and drill the legs, the cross-bars, the back supports etc with pin-point accuracy and precision at impressive speed. Each element is closely inspected and even the most minute flaw will mean it ends up in the reject bin. Passing inspection, it is sanded by hand to a perfect finish and assembled carefully into a chair. The lacquering process involves seven coats and then the most impressive part of the manufacture can commence: stringing the seat with over 120 metres of paper cord. This incredibly physical process is spectacular to watch – one hour for each wishbone, nine hours for the CH25 chair – the inevitable toll it takes on the craftsman's forearms is relieved by an on-site masseur.

The backrest of the CH20 'Elbow' Chair is sanded The backrest of the CH20 'Elbow' Chair is sanded

The Wishbone Chair is carefully assembled from 14 separate parts The Wishbone Chair is carefully assembled from 14 separate parts

Lacquer is carefully applied in seven separate coats Lacquer is carefully applied in seven separate coats

The stringing takes 120 metres of paper cord and takes an hour for the Wishbone Chair
The stringing takes 120 metres of paper cord and takes an hour for the Wishbone Chair

The most impressive things about the factory are its orderliness and its cleanliness – the environmental conditions in which the craftsmen work are extremely good. A significant investment was made in a huge ventilation system that removes all the sawdust from all the machines, which is then turned into pellets to burn in district heating plants. Safety is paramount, producing an unblemished record.

Watching the production process from raw timber to finished Wishbone Chair is invaluable in understanding the skill and precision with which it is made: craftsmanship that has evolved along with modern technology. One comment was "I can't believe it doesn't cost so much more". This skill, the sustainability of resources (for each tree felled, at least two are planted) and the importance given to working conditions mean that investing in an authentic Wishbone Chair – or any other item from Carl Hansen’s range – gives you a superb piece of furniture of the highest quality and integrity which will last a lifetime, and beyond.

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