Soborg Armchair

In 1948, Børge Mogensen participated in MoMA’s ”low-cost furniture” international design competition together with his friend Hans J. Wegner. Mogensen exhibited the first prototype for the Soborg Chair in 1950. His intention was to make a shell chair that could be produced with new machineries of the time. The rounded shaped seat and back in moulded plywood combined with a solid wood frame reflected how Mogensen fused his international contact with traditional cabine-makers’ solutions and his own functionalist design identity. In 1952, Mogensen expanded the series with a steel framed chair. Working with steel was exception, rather than rule, in Mogensen’s work ethic but the execution was typical of Mogensen. Adding details such as the slightly tapered legs, Mogensen successfully demonstrated the use of woodworking methodologies in steel, which means the Soborg Chair has a visual expression that is less industrial and more crafted.