Design Furniture Carl Hansen & Søn
Shell Chair (CH07)
Hans J. Wegner's three-legged lounge chair of 1963 with a winged seat and curved back in upholstered form-pressed veneer, made by Carl Hansen & Søn.
- Designed by
- Hans J. Wegner
- Made by
- Carl Hansen & Søn
- First made
- 1963
Pictures © Carl Hansen & Søn, from carlhansen.com.
Why it is renowned
Critics liked the Shell Chair when Wegner showed it in 1963, but buyers did not, and only a few were made; when Carl Hansen & Søn brought it back in 1998 it found a new public almost at once.1 The maker now counts it among Wegner's most important designs.12
The story
Hans J. Wegner unveiled the chair in 1963, when production methods made it hard to build.1 The seat and back are form-pressed veneer, upholstered, and rest on a frame of three curved legs laminated from layers of veneer; the two front legs are one piece.1 Wegner held that a chair should have no back side, and the Shell Chair is meant to be seen from every angle.1 Carl Hansen & Søn reissued it in 1998.1
Sources
- CH07 Shell Chair, Carl Hansen & Søn. carlhansen.com, read 30 September 2026.
- Wegner's chairs, Carl Hansen & Søn. carlhansen.com, read 30 September 2026.
Last checked 30 September 2026, against the maker's own pages.