CH28 “Sawbuck” Chair in Teak Wood and Leather by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen
About the Item
- Creator:Hans J. Wegner (Designer),Carl Hansen & Søn (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 29 in (73.66 cm)Depth: 27 in (68.58 cm)Seat Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. A beautiful survivor from the period. No restorations or repairs.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU841938455002
Sawbuck Chair
Danish designer Hans J. Wegner (1914–2007) got his start as a 14-year-old apprentice to Danish master cabinetmaker H.F. Stahlberg, and that lifelong dedication to the art of woodworking can be seen in his 1952 CH29P chair. Nicknamed the Sawbuck chair, its legs recall the sawbuck, or sawhorse, workbenches used by carpenters but reimagined for a modern design that combines clean lines and comfort.
Known as the “Master of the Chair,” Wegner would create over 500 variations on seating across his career, his practice leading the way in the style and attention to quality that would define Danish modern design in the 1950s and ’60s. Each chair he introduced — the Flag Halyard chair, the Round chair and many more — balanced aesthetics and function, often comprising just a few simple components as part of his “continuous process of purification” in his designs.
The Sawbuck chair followed a 1951 lounge chair that also had tapered legs and a large H-shape frame that swayed back against a short H-shape frame. The 1952 model refined this idea. Wegner added cutout details on two sides of its back and placed an emphasis on ergonomics by widening its upholstered seat at the front. Paired with the concave backrest, the Sawbuck chair accommodates a variety of sitting postures while still being a sculptural object.
Carl Hansen & Søn, the Danish furniture company with which Wegner collaborated on many of his designs, took the Sawbuck chair out of production in the 1970s. Two decades later, at the encouragement of Wegner’s family, it was relaunched in a variety of wood types and upholstery options to fit into contemporary interiors as an update to the elegant original design.
Hans J. Wegner
Best known for his chairs and other seating pieces — though a master of many furniture types like sofas and tables — Hans Wegner was a prolific designer whose elegant, often ebullient, forms and devotion to the finest methods in joinery made "Danish Modern" a popular byword for stylish, well-made furniture in the mid-20th century.
Wegner considered himself a carpenter first and a furniture designer second. Like his peers Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl, Wegner believed that striking aesthetics in furniture were based on a foundation of practicality: a chair must be comfortable and sturdy before it is chic.
In keeping with that tenet, several of Hans Wegner’s best chair designs have their roots in traditional seating forms. The Peacock chair (designed in 1947) is a throne-like adaptation of the Windsor chair; pieces from the China chair series (begun in 1944) as well as the 1949 Wishbone chair, with its distinctive Y-shaped back splat, are derived from 17th-century Ming seating pieces, as is the upholstered Ox chair (1960). Wegner’s comfy Papa Bear chair (1951) is an almost surreally re-scaled English wingback chair.
Wegner’s most representative piece, the Round chair (1949), gained a footnote in political history when it was used on the TV stage of the first Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960. That chair, along with Wegner’s more bravura designs — for example, the 1963 Shell chair, with its curved surfboard-shaped seat — bring a quietly sculptural presence to a room.
Wegner was a designer who revered his primary material — wood — and it shows. His wood gathers patina and character with age; every Hans Wegner piece testifies to the life it has led.
Find vintage Hans Wegner lounge chairs, armchairs, daybeds and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Chicago, IL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen, Oak 38” Diameter Coffee Table.By Hans J. Wegner, Carl Hansen & SønLocated in Chicago, ILHans Wegner Oak CH008 Coffee Table for Carl Hansen and Son. Finish is a clear lacquer over natural wood. No stains or color added. If you prefer to have a color pigmented finish, we ...Category
2010s Danish Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsOak
- Pair of T Chairs by Katavolos, Littell & Kelley for Laverne InternationalBy Douglas Kelly, Ross Littell and William KatavolosLocated in Chicago, ILPair of iconic T side chairs in thick saddle leather and chromed steel frames by Katavolos, Littell and Kelly for Laverne International. A very forward design for 1952, especially co...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Four Bert England for Brueton Polished Steel & Cadet Blue Leather Lounge ChairsBy Brueton, Bert EnglandLocated in Chicago, ILSet of four cantilevered lounge chairs by Bert England for Brueton. Polished steel frames with low slung arms and biscuit tufted cadet blue leather. Can be sold as pairs for 5750.00 ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Outsider Artist Mixed Woods Chair SculptureLocated in Chicago, ILConsisting of lighter and darker woods laminated together for strength and geometry, this handmade chair sculpture had to have been a work of art brut. Round seat back echoed in the ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Chairs
- Pair of Driftwood Oak and Black Leather Carved Lion Head Campaign ChairsLocated in Chicago, ILPair of driftwood glazed oak Campaign chairs with carved lions head detail. Leather sling seat and back with herringbone wool upholstered attached seat. Brass bar supports under seat...Category
Vintage 1970s American Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Set Of Four Mahogany, Cane & Leather Regency Folding ChairsLocated in Chicago, ILUnusual and rare set of Regency style folding dining chairs in mahogany and cane, with dark ivory leather seats and scalloped backs. Extremely well constructed. Just the right thin...Category
Vintage 1950s American Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMahogany
- Hans J. Wegner Mid-Century Sawbuck Dining Chair CH29 Teak for Carl Hansen & SonBy Hans J. Wegner, Carl Hansen & SønLocated in München, BYHans Wegner sawbuck chair model CH 29 for Carl Hansen. Originally designed in 1951. The year of manufacture of this chair is probably 1971 (m...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Upholstery, Teak
- Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn 'Sawbuck' Dining Chair in TeakBy Carl Hansen & Søn, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Waalwijk, NLHans J. Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn, 'Sawbuck' dining chair, model CH29, teak, beige fabric, Denmark, design 1952 Hans Wegner's chair exemplifies a solid construction, despite its...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
- Hans Wegner Vintage Sawbuck Chairs for Carl Hansen CH28 in Oak & Leather, 1951By Carl Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Brooklyn, NYAn icon of 20th century seating design still celebrated 72 years after its introduction—the Sawbuck chair by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen, 1951. Montaperto Studios is pleased to offer...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Hans J. Wegner Set of Six Sawbuck Chairs Ch 29 of Teak by Carl Hansen 1950sBy Carl Hansen & Søn, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Aarhus C, DKSet of six dining room chairs model no. CH-29 designed in 1952 by the Danish architect Hans J. Wegner and. Manufactured by Carl Hansen & Sons, Odense, Denmark the following years. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
- Sawbuck Chair, CH28, by Hans Wegner, 1951By Carl Hansen, Hans J. WegnerLocated in Oakland, CAModel CH28, “Sawbuck” Danish lounge chair designed by Hans Wegner and produced by Carl Hansen in Denmark, 1951. The chair features a simple and elegant design, with a distinctive X-s...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Hans J. Wegner 'CH24 Wishbone' Chair in Teak and Oil for Carl Hansen & SonBy Hans J. Wegner, Carl Hansen & SønLocated in Glendale, CAHans J. Wegner 'CH24 Wishbone' chair in teak and oil for Carl Hansen & Son The story of Danish Modern begins in 1908 when Carl Hansen opened his first workshop. His firm commitmen...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPapercord, Teak, Wood
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Design Icon Ilse Crawford on Her Colorful New Hans Wegner Chairs
If anyone is brave, humble and adept enough to recolor these mid-century masterpieces, it’s Ilse Crawford. Here, she gives us the details on her five earthy paint choices and tells us how she feels about design collaborations.