For four generations, the Hansen family has worked with upholstery and furniture production. Oswald Hansen (1891) and his brother Hans (1895) were educated saddle-makers and upholsterers. They inspired both of Oswald’s sons, Eiler (1916) and Thorkild (1922) to follow the same occupation. Eiler’s son, John soon decided to go in the same direction and became an educated upholsterer as well. In 1959, father and son Eiler Hansen and John Hansen established a furniture production company of their own, named Hansen & Hansen.Today, the 3rd. and 4th. generation are in charge of the family-run business called HANSEN.

Back in the 1950’s, a new furniture entered the Danish homes – the television. Representation of joyful family members and friends gathered together in front of the television screen is an iconographic archetype of this era. None the less, this major interest led to a challenge in the living rooms – the limited amount of available seats. To overcome the problem, Eiler Hansen set his mind to design and develop chairs and footstools that could fit in every living room. Making it possible for everybody to have a seat. Last year we flicked through our 55-year-old furniture archives of packshots, sketches and catalogues, and stumbled across The Chair and The Footstool, which haven’t been in production since the early ‘70s. Not only was the design still very interesting and inspiring but so was the story behind the initial concept.

The forgotten icons have now been re-launched. With the relaunch we want to focus on the original design but yet with a modified concept by breathing fresh life into each piece. Our aim is to create furniture that has the ability to discreetly light up any type of space. The collection is still characterized by great craftsmanship, a unique simple design and an inherent sense of quality. All our furniture comes with a story, capturing a moment in history, which remains relevant to this day — Handcrafted and heartfelt. We’ve carefully chosen materials to make each piece built to last for generations.

Design: HANSEN / Eiler Hansen / John Hansen
Photography: Chris Tonnesen