Fun Furniture Fact #27: Danish Modern 101

Denmark is considered the happiest country in the world. While the list of reasons is long (dedication to workers’ rights, a rich history of art, Legos), we’d like to think their furniture is on that list. With the renewed popularity of mid century decor in recent years, you may find yourself wondering why so much furniture is marked “Danish” or “Danish Modern.”

The Danish Modern style of design began as early as the 1920s in Scandinavia, but it didn’t become visible on the global stage until after World War II. The style is typified by an emphasis on quality materials, sleek and novel shapes, and finding beauty in the clean and simplistic. These made Danish Modern designs perfectly suited to postwar prosperity and practicality.

One of the largest factors in Danish Modern’s international popularity was its role in the launch of the United Nations. In 1952, Danish designer Finn Juhl was chosen to decorate the Trusteeship Council Chamber in New York City’s new United Nations building. This important new international organization for the mid century era became a sort of showroom for a style unlike any most Americans had ever seen.

As Danish Modern swept the nation in the fifties, American companies started to produce their own versions of Danish Modern style furniture. While produced at high standards of quality and design, these American-made pieces are less expensive today than their Danish counterparts because they often incorporated more plastic and Formica, and lacked the prestige of an attached designer name. We currently have Danish Modern furniture in our store made everywhere from Norway to Canada to Israel, demonstrating the international design community’s embrace of this style as one of the most significant of the 20th century.

The popularity of Danish Modern design peaked in 1963, and in 1966 it began to steeply decline in popularity. With the recent resurgence of Mid Century Modern, it’s no surprise that the style’s cool European cousin is back as well. Here at Furnish Green, we have an ever-changing selection of Danish Modern furniture from a range of decades and countries of origin. Stop into our showroom or search “Danish Modern” on the website to stay up-to-date on this rich beloved style.