1971: THE FURNITURE PRIZE
“IF THIS WAS ONLY ABOUT MAKING MONEY, I COULD AS WELL HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURING SAUSAGES …"
Andreas Graversen and Børge Mogensen's collaboration was fuelled by fiery temperaments and they didn't always agree. However, they had a mutual belief that aesthetically pleasing furniture could be produced in rationalised industrial production. They also agreed that, first and foremost, furniture should live up to the demands of everyday use, and withstand a lifetime of use. Neither man was satisfied if a piece of furniture did not live up to these demands.
Even though sparks would often fly when the businessman and designer crossed words, the relationship between Andreas Graversen and Børge Mogensen endured. They cemented a close friendship based on mutual respect, and together they created incredibly iconic furniture drawn by Mogensen’s hand. In 1971 their mutual efforts were rewarded when they received The Danish Furniture Prize together.
1972: BØRGE MOGENSEN DIES
Shortly before his untimely death at the age of 58, Mogensen was appointed Honourary Royal Designer for Industry at the Royal Society of Arts in London.
1975: PETER MOGENSEN
COMPLETES HIS FATHERS
COLLECTIONS
Architect Peter Mogensen, son of Børge Mogensen, completed the last series of the Børge Mogensen Select Collection after his father’s death.
1980: FREDERICIA AQUIRES P. LAURITZEN AND SON
The acquisition of P Lauritzen and Son, with its notable collection of Mogensen cabinets and chairs, marked the beginning of the Graversen family’s effort to consolidate the best Børge Mogensen designs under Fredericia’s roof.
1984: SØREN HOLST
COLLECTION
Søren Holst became Fredericia’s first designer after Mogensen’s death. His wooden furniture series follows the path laid out by Mogensen, while giving space for new visual directions within Fredericia’s scope of design.
1989: HANS J. WEGNER IN
PRODUCTION
Hans J. Wegner granted Fredericia the production rights for a range of Hans J. Wegner furniture previously manufactured by the Danish cabinet-maker Johannes Hansen.
1989: NANNA DITZEL AND BENCH FOR TWO
"ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE"
In the late 80s, as Thomas Graversen, son of Andreas Graversen became more involved in the family business. He began collaborating with Nanna Ditzel, marking a new design direction for Fredericia. Nanna Ditzel, also known as the “Queen of Danish Design” had made herself known in the 1950's and 60's with her radically experimental types of furniture made of foam, plastic and wickerwork as well as her jewellery and textile designs.
Thomas Graversen, educated at the important Danish furniture gallery “Den Permanente”, was keen to work with Ditzel, who represented a less dogmatic approach to furniture design in comparison to that of his father, Andreas Graversen. The collaboration became a reality in 1989 with ‘Bench for Two’, an avant-garde design made from aeroplane veneer and silkscreening.
The innovative use of materials propelled the bench ahead of 472 other competitors to win one of the most highly acclaimed design prizes in Japan.
