Johannes Andersen

Johannes Andersen is one of the talented Danish furniture architects that helped define the golden age of Scandinavian design. He was a leading figure in Danish furniture design throughout the 1950s and 60s, creating a significant catalogue of work. While Andersen primarily worked with Danish makers, his designs were also produced in other Scandinavian countries, notably his ‘Capri’ Range of lounge furniture for Trensum of Sweden.

It's interesting that while Andersen has a prolific design portfolio, very little is known about the man himself. It is believed that he was born in 1903 in Aarhus, Denmark but there is currently no verifying source material to validate this. His documented designs and organic style align more with the second generation of Danish designers like Ib Kofod Larsen, Arne Vodder, Grete Jalk, and Sven Ellekaer who were all born in the 1920s.

What we do have is a legacy of sophisticated and enduring furniture designed by Johannes Andersen. Vintage advertisements state that Andersen is an architect, so he would have been required to complete a cabinetmakers apprenticeship before studying furniture design and then architecture, most likely, at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture.

1957 was a big year for Andersen, his designs for George Petersen, Hovedstadens Mobelfabrik and Jensen & Lykkegaard were showcased at the Fredericia Furniture Fair. These sat comfortably alongside work from big name designers like Borge Morgensen, Niels Moller, Nana Ditzel, Kurt Ostervig, Arne Vodder, and Grete Jalk. Additionally, a Johannes Andersen desk designed for Falster Mobelfabrik was featured in American design publication Arts & Architecture – volume 74.

While all Andersen’s work shows the hand of a talented designer, his most iconic design is likely the elegant Model 206 ‘Smiling’ Coffee Table for C.F Christensen in Silkeborg, Denmark, c1957. A stunning organic offering with soft curves, highly splayed legs, and a memorable magazine rack in the shape of a warm smile.

Here are some of the documented makers that Johs. Andersen has worked with; Alf. Juul Rasmussens Polstermøbelfabrik, Bernhard Pedersen & Son, Brdr Andersens Møbelfabrik, C.F. Christensen, E. Johansen Naestved, George Petersen, Hans Bech, Hovedstadens Møbelfabrik, J. Skaaning & Søn, Jensen & Lykkegaard, Møbelfabriken Falster, R. Skovgaard Jensen, Sidelmann Jakobsen, Sitamo Møbler, Trensum (Sweden), Uldum Møbelfabrik, Valentinsens Møbelfabrik, and Vamo Møbelfabrik.