Vintage Oak Chair by Børge Mogensen, Italy, 1960s

Designer Børge Mogensen was born in Aalborg, Denmark in 1914. He studied furniture design at the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts under esteemed Professor Kaare Klint from 1936–38. Next, he studied at the School of Furniture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts from 1938–41, where he also served as Klint’s teaching assistant. In 1942, Mogensen became head of design at the Danish Consumers Coöperative Society (FDB). He opened his own design office in 1950, and was one of a handful of designers who helped define and popularize the notion of modern Danish design.

Mogensen’s aesthetic was clean and highly functional. He was driven to create affordable, practical designs, and his preferred material was wood. Clients included Fredericia Stolefabrik, Fritz Hansen, and Søborg Møbelfabrik, among others. Notable projects include Spokeback Sofa (1945), and Spanish Chair (1959), as well as a variety of shelving and storage designs. He was honored with the Eckersberg Medal in 1950, the annual prize from the Copenhagen Carpentry Guild in 1953, and the C.F. Hansen Medal in 1972.

Mogensen passed away in Denmark in 1972.