Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Teak Coffee Table by France & Daverkosen
About the Item
- Creator:France & Daverkosen (Cabinetmaker),Hvidt & Mølgaard (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 21.86 in (55.5 cm)Width: 22.25 in (56.5 cm)Depth: 51.19 in (130 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Chiavari, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6764229295772
Hvidt & Mølgaard
Warm, exceptionally versatile and crafted with a range of appealing materials, vintage Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen furniture showcases the Danish duo’s penchant for innovation and durable design. For decades, the pair created sleek coffee tables, seductive lounge chairs and other pieces that are characterized by the practicality and elegance commonly attributed to Scandinavian modernism.
Both Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen attended what is now the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, with Mølgaard-Nielsen having completed his studies under the Danish furniture design pioneer and architect Kaare Klint. Trained as an architect and cabinetmaker, Hvidt established his own firm in 1940 and taught at his alma mater for a few years. After they won a design competition held in Stockholm, Hvidt partnered with Mølgaard-Nielsen in 1944 to establish their firm in Copenhagen.
The collaboration between Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen yielded more than 250 designs and lasted over 30 years. Aside from having created a wardrobe for the Queen of Denmark as well as numerous architectural structures, the pair’s flagship achievements include 1944’s teak Portex chair, which is Denmark’s first-ever stacking chair (and is occasionally attributed to Hvidt alone), and the AX chair.
A masterpiece of technical expertise and innovative woodworking, the sculptural AX armchair shares commonalities with the work of legendary Finnish designer Alvar Aalto — whose output included similarly curvaceous seating such as the Paimio armchair, often designed in partnership with his wife, Aino. It features double-curved laminated wood in the seat and back — which could be mass-produced — 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.
While vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard furniture isn’t as popular as the work of Finn Juhl, a like-minded Danish modernist who helped popularize Scandinavian design in America as well as the use of teak in furniture, the innovative AX chair is similarly as expressive and inviting as Juhl’s seating. The AX was designed in collaboration with manufacturer Fritz Hansen during the late 1940s and went into production in 1950. It gave way to a series that includes tables and other types of seating.
Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen collaborated regularly with Fritz Hansen, France & Søn and Søborg Møbelfabrik. Their work can be found in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen’s Design Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.
Find vintage Hvidt & Mølgaard dining tables, coffee tables, modular sofas, storage cabinets and more on 1stDibs.
France & Daverkosen
The giant of mid-century furniture design France & Søn began its remarkable journey as a Danish firm specializing in the production and exporting of Scandinavian design called France & Daverkosen.
British businessman Charles William Fearnley France and Danish cabinetmaker Eric Daverkosen entered into a joint venture in 1936 — France being the investor and Daverkosen the head designer for their small mattress factory. Soon after production started at the France & Daverkosen company, Daverkosen became quite ill.
Concerned for his friend and their fledgling business, France traveled to Denmark, and Daverkosen died soon after his partner arrived. While France was attempting to make arrangements to transfer the company into his hands, World War II erupted, and Germany invaded Denmark. As a British citizen, France was captured and sent to a prison camp in Germany.
While in captivity, France developed several manufacturing ideas to pass the time and to keep his mind focused. He imagined a way to create lightweight wooden chairs that could be manufactured on an industrial scale and transported using an economic flat-pack format. He also thought of a way to retool his mattress factory to create chair backs, seats and sofa cushions.
Once freed, France returned to his business in Denmark and began to manufacture beech and teak goods that were gaining widespread acclaim around the world. He began to surround himself with some of the best Scandinavian designers of the time: Finn Juhl, Grete Jalk and Ole Wanscher, to name a few.
By 1954, France & Daverkosen accounted for 60 percent of all Danish furniture exports and their factory employed 350 people. Charles’s son James joined the company in 1957, which resulted in the name change to France & Søn.
Later, France & Søn was acquired by Danish designer Poul Cadovius, who folded it into the operations at CADO, a company he founded during the 1950s.
On 1stDibs, find France & Daverkosen seating, tables and more.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Chiavari, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, FD 451 sofa bed for France & Søn, 1960sBy Hvidt & Mølgaard, France & SønLocated in Chiavari, LiguriaA beautiful FD451 articulated two seater sofa bed, designed by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen for France & Søn in Denmark around the 1960s. One interesting feature of this ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsCane, Teak
- France & Son solid teak extendable coffee table, Denmark, 1960sBy France & SønLocated in Chiavari, LiguriaA danish solid teak coffee table, produced by France & Son in the Sixties. This coffee table stands out for its simple line and a mechanism that allows expanding the surface when ne...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Midcentury Italian Glass Coffee Table with Diamond Shaped Wooden Legs, 1960sBy Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Chiavari, LiguriaA beautiful example of mid century Italian side/coffee table. With its diamond shaped aniline-stain wooden legs and a round glass top, its design could fits perfectly both in modern ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsGlass, Wood
- Cristal Art Glass Coffee Table with Metal Legs Model 2661 - Italy - 1960sBy Cristal ArteLocated in Chiavari, LiguriaA beautiful occasional table mod 2661 designed and manufactured by Cristal Art in the 1960’s with a polished brass and lacquered metal structure and a mirrored glass top with rounded...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Ross Littell Stainless Steel ''Luar'' Coffee Table for Icf De Padova, Italy 1974By ICF De Padova, Ross LittellLocated in Chiavari, LiguriaA minimalistic square Luar coffee table designed by Ross Littel for ICF-De Padova (Italy). This side table is made of steel, wood and aluminium and stands out for its essential style...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
- Charlotte Perriand pinewood coffee table, France, late 1960sBy Charlotte PerriandLocated in Chiavari, LiguriaLow pinewood coffee table, French craftsmanship from the late 1960s, designed by Charlotte Perriand for the Les Arcs 1600 ski station residence. This table features geometric lines,...Category
Vintage 1960s French Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsPine
- Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen SideTableBy France & Daverkosen, Hvidt & MølgaardLocated in Highland, INThis Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen model FD 521 side table from 1956 designed for France & Daverkosen features all solid teak construction and a cane lower shelf.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsCane, Teak
- 1960s Teak Side Table by Peter Hvidt & Orla Molgaard for France & Son DaverkosenBy France & Daverkosen, France & Søn, Hvidt & MølgaardLocated in Kirchlengern, DETeak side table. Designed by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard. Produced by France and Son and France & Daverkosen, 1960s. This original teak side table was made by France & Da...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWood, Teak
- 1960s coffee table, Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, FD-516By Hvidt & Mølgaard, France & DaverkosenLocated in Neuss, NWClassic coffee table from the 1960s by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen for France & Daverkosen. Rare model FD- 516. Frame and table top made of solid teak with an additional shel...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Coffee Table Produced by France & DaverkosenBy Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Peter HvidtLocated in Limhamn, Skåne länCoffee table model FD-516 designed by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen. Produced by France & Daverkosen in Denmark.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Teak Side Table for France & DaverkosenBy Peter HvidtLocated in Montreal, QCPeter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen teak two-tier side table for France & DaverkosenCategory
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side 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