MidMod and Kofod

by George Schwab

Ib Kofod Larsen bent plywood lounge chair.

Short Bio: After graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Denmark, Ib Kofod Larsen designed industrial products and furniture for G-Plan and Faarup, two of the world’s top furniture companies. His work became increasingly desirable during the 1950s and 1960s, and typically featured organic and minimalist designs. Although his furniture designs were tailored for the Swedish market they were most successful in Denmark. Today his work is highly sought by mid century modern and Danish modern collectors around the world.

His furniture items are often made of rosewood and palisander, and some of the many items he designed include chairs, sideboards, daybeds, bookcases, secretary desks, cabinets and much more. He participated in many competitions for Danish craftsmen at that time, and won various awards including Gold Prize at the HOLMEGAARDS glass competition. One of his most famous works is called the Elizabeth Chair (IL-01) produced in 1956.

Ib Kofod Larsen dining chairs.

MidMod Decor is lucky in that currently, in our collection, we have six pieces of furniture designed by Kofod Larsen. The first piece we collected is the iconic bent plywood lounge chair. Pictured in all the books relating to the important pieces designed in Denmark during the mid-century, this chair is a real beauty. Seeing as how it is made of plywood, it is surprisingly comfortable to sit in.

The next piece we acquired is a beautiful lounge chair. It has original orange wool upholstered cushions (pictured at top) and the teak has the original finish. This is a chair I love to sit in when I read.

We also have a set of four dining side chairs we collected directly from Denmark. They are a set that is rarely seen in America.

Rosewood secretary by Ib Kofod Larsen.

The Swedish teak credenza is made by Seffle (pictured at top). We don’t have any positive documentation that Larsen designed it but it was made during the time that Larsen worked for Seffle and has many of the design cues that are hallmarks of Larsen’s work.

Our very large rosewood secretary is one of Kofod Larsen’s masterpieces of casework. Sometimes called the “King of Secretaries” this piece has all the bells and whistles that go with the genre’ including hidden doors and secret compartments. It also boasts beautifully figured rosewood.

The most recent Larsen we’ve acquired is this cane back lounge chair (pictured at top). It has just been re-caned, refinished and had a new cushion installed. It has beautiful, elegant lines and would shine in almost any interior context.

Caption top header photo: top from left to right - cane back lounge chair, lounge chair with original orange wool upholstered cushions. Bottom from left to right – Swedish teak credenza is made by Seffle, four dining side chairs we collected directly from Denmark.