I didn’t get to make it down to London for the launch of the new Carl Hansen & Søn CH24 wishbone chair collection. I do now have the pleasure of enjoying four of the wishbone chairs in my dining room. Well, just to experience for a short while. But I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to style these beautiful chairs.
Carl Hansen & Søn CH24 wishbone chair collection
To celebrate more than 70 years with the CH24 Wishbone chair in constant production, Carl Hansen & Søn has released a new colour-way of this iconic design. In collaboration with designer Ilse Crawford and her London-based studio, Hans J. Wegner’s best known chair is now available in 9 new colours. You can see the limited Birthday edition wishbone chair here.
History & Design of the Wishbone Chair
The first design of the iconic wishbone chair was created in 1949. The clever design of the chair takes over 100 steps to make. Wegner, the chair’s designer, aimed to combine the back and armrest into one continuous piece. Thus making it an extremely stable chair.
The hand woven seat is carefully crafted by an expert and in itself can take up to an hour to make. All this goes to not just create a beautiful chair but also a functional and comfortable design.
HANS J WEGNER x ILSE CRAWFORD
Ilse is known for her holistic approach to design, whereby every space or product she creates is done so in a way that responds to and supports our emotional and psychological needs. Which makes total sense, given how much time we spend in our homes and other indoor spaces. So her chosen colours for this classic chair weren’t short-lived and on-trend. Rather inspired by natural elements found in the Nordic eco-system.
“Colors are so closely related to our emotions and our mood,” Crawford says, “and we believe that these subdued tones will help create a warm, relaxed and natural environment.”
This new, rich palette draws inspiration from the impressionist Danish artist Per Kirkeby, whose work depicted the rugged beauty of the Scandinavian landscape. Colours include Seaweed Green, North Sea, Hollyhock (a slightly acidic soft yellow) Terracotta and Falu (a rich red).
Styling the Wishbone Chair
Here in my dining room, I’ve picked a gorgeous soft Barley which is a pale, warm neutral. It’s perfect for catching the afternoon light that streams into the room. I love to watch the sun move across the natural cord seats. And of course, they make me think of the sandy coastline around Denmark and the fields of corn in the countryside in summer. I used to spend summer holidays there and loved it!
