XL teak coffee table by Peter Hvidt and Orla Molgaard Nielsen model FD 575
About the Item
- Creator:Peter Hvidt (Designer),France & Søn (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)Width: 68.9 in (175 cm)Depth: 26.58 in (67.5 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960's
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Top has been sand and laquered with a matt finish.3250.
- Seller Location:Amsterdam, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3940338265752
Peter Hvidt
One half of the influential Danish furniture duo Hvidt and Mølgaard, architect and designer Peter Hvidt created shapely works in teak and rosewood that could be mass-produced and transported at a scale rarely seen before his time. Alongside his business partner, Aalborg-born designer Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, the pair crafted furniture which stands today as a masterclass in the combination of elegance and practicality that is typical of Scandinavian modernism.
Hvidt was born in Copenhagen in 1916. He studied architecture and cabinetry, and graduated from the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen. Hvidt established his own design firm in 1940 and taught for three years at his former school, during which he designed the teak Portex chair — Denmark’s first stacking chair (this design has alternatively been attributed to Hvidt’s partnership with Mølgaard-Nielsen over the years).
The exceptional collaboration between Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen took shape in 1944. A student of pioneering Danish modernist designer and architect Kaare Klint and fellow graduate of the School of Arts and Crafts, Mølgaard brought his technical prowess and eye for practical design to the partnership. Together, for more than three decades, Hvidt and Mølgaard would produce over 250 furniture designs, a legacy that included the iconic AX chair.
A masterpiece of technical expertise and innovative woodworking, the sculptural AX armchair was designed in collaboration with manufacturer Fritz Hansen during the late 1940s. It features double-curved laminated wood in the seat and back, and is an early example of knock-down furniture. This meant that it could be easily dismantled and assembled at its destination, which rendered the chair economical for transport on cargo ships and therefore could reach a worldwide audience. The AX went into production in 1950 and eventually gave way to a series that featured tables and other seating.
Hvidt’s proclivity for forward-looking design was typical of the venturesome furniture makers of the mid-century modern era. This extended to textures and materials, too — he believed that a tasteful combination of materials could add character and visual intrigue. With Mølgaard-Nielsen, Hvidt designed streamlined coffee tables, rosewood chairs upholstered with sumptuous black leather and teak side tables with cane shelves (teak was a sought-after material for designers at the time).
The duo’s work with celebrated manufacturers Fritz Hansen, France & Søn and Søborg Møbelfabrik has been a part of exhibitions at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen’s Design Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Peter Hvidt seating, tables and case pieces.
France & Søn
Danish manufacturer France & Søn is best known for its prolific output of elegant mid-century modern furnishings in teak and leather, yet its multinational beginnings took shape during the 1930s.
After businessman Charles William Fearnley France (1897–1972) moved from his native England to Denmark in 1936, he began to operate a small mattress factory alongside his friend Eric Daverkosen, a Danish cabinetmaker, under the name France & Daverkosen. Shortly afterward, Daverkosen passed away, and when Denmark was invaded during the Second World War, Charles was captured and sent to a prison camp in Germany. When he was released, the British entrepreneur set out to produce furniture in the early 1950s, setting up a shop in Hillerød to manufacture the kind of sleek beech and teak goods that were gaining widespread acclaim around the world. In 1957, France’s son James joined the business, and the company changed its name to reflect the addition.
Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, France & Søn produced a stunning array — and staggering quantity — of designs, with elegant modernist lounge chairs and armchairs, teak and rosewood dining tables and other furnishings by the likes of Finn Juhl, Grete Valk, Ole Wanscher, Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen all gracing its catalogues.
Even as there was a focus on mass production at France & Søn — and the brand doesn’t quite enjoy the same renown as fellow mid-century Danish furniture makers such as Carl Hansen & Søn — Charles France believed in making quality furniture, and the company’s offerings evoke the warmth of the handcrafted work that is typically associated with Scandinavian modernism.
In the 1960s, the company was bought by Danish designer Poul Cadovius, who folded it into the operations at CADO, a company he founded during the 1950s. Surviving examples of early work from the brand as well as modern icons by the likes of Verner Panton that followed in later years continue to be in demand.
Find a collection of France & Søn furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Oude Meer, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Peter Ghyczy for Ghyczy Brass and Glass Square Coffee Table, 1970'sBy Peter Ghyczy, GhyczyLocated in Amsterdam, NLSquare coffee table by Peter Ghyczy. Solid brass legs and a thick glass plate. Architect and designer Peter Ghyczy, born in Hungary in 1940, graduated at the Technical University of...Category
Vintage 1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Scandinavian Modern Oak Coffee Table by Frem Rojle, Denmark, 1960'sBy Frem RøjleLocated in Amsterdam, NLOak coffee table by Frem Rojle. Some small water stains on the top.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsOak
- Dutch Modern Brutalist Natural Stone and Steel Coffee Table, 1950sBy Poul Kjærholm, Paul Kingma, Floris H. Fiedeldij, ArtimetaLocated in Amsterdam, NLDutch modern Brutalist slate and steel coffee tables, 1950s. Heavy slate top resting on an iron frame. The slate top has a unique natural pattern. The table is made in the Netherl...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Brutalist Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsStone, Metal
- Henning Kjaernulf for Vejle Furniture Wooden Rectangle Coffee Table, 1960'sBy Vejle Stole & Møbelfabrik, Henning Kjærnulf, Kai KristiansenLocated in Amsterdam, NLHenning Kjaernulf for Vejle Furniture Factory, Scandinavian Modern wooden veneer coffee table. The top has been refinished once. The legs can be removed for transport.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood
- Mid-Century Modern Minimalistic Metal and Glass Coffee Table, the NetherlandsLocated in Amsterdam, NLBlack metal minimalistic frame with magazine rack and a bubbled glass top. Design from the Netherlands in the 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Tue Poulsen for Haslev Møbelsnedkeri, Stone and Oak Coffee Table, Denmark 1960'sBy Haslev Mobelsnedkeri, Tue PoulsenLocated in Amsterdam, NLDesign coffee table by Tue Poulsen for Haslev Møbelsnedkeri. Oak foot and stone inlay. In good condition.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsStone
- Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Coffee Table Model FD 15/54 in TeakBy Peter Hvidt, Orla Mølgaard-NielsenLocated in Limhamn, Skåne länRare drop-leaf coffee table model FD 15/54 designed by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen. Produced by France & Daverkosen in Denmark.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Danish Mid Century Peter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard-Nielsen FD-516 Coffee TableBy France & Søn, Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter HvidtLocated in London, GBDesigned by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard Nielsen, the FD-516 coffee table was manufactured by France & Søn in Denmark. Constructed from Teak, the coffee table has a large rectangul...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak, Rattan
- Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Side TableBy France & Søn, Peter Hvidt, Orla Mølgaard-NielsenLocated in Esbjerg, DKPeter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard Nielsen side table in partly solid teak Model Silverline, Made by France & Daverkosen in the 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Solid Teak Coffee TableBy France & Søn, Hvidt & MølgaardLocated in Philadelphia, PAbeautiful solid teak coffee table by peter hvidt and orla mølgaard-nielsen for France and sons. this table has beautiful details including the joinery join...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Teak Minerva Coffee table by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-NielsenBy Peter Hvidt, Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, John StuartLocated in Philadelphia, PABeautiful solid teak coffee table from the Minerva line by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Peter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard Nielsen Solid Teak Coffee TableBy Peter HvidtLocated in Oakland, CASolid teak coffee table designed by Peter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard Nielsen For France & Son, model 640, 1958 Denmark. Crafted of planks of old growth teak...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak