Exciting news: we bought an apartment! Now that means there might pop up some house oriented blog posts in the future, like the one you are reading now. This blog will be all about one of our latest purchases: the Illum Wikkelsø Capella lounge chair.
ILLUM WIKKELSØ
Similar to numerous Danish designers of his time, Wikkelsø pursued studies in cabinetry, completing his education at the Copenhagen School of Arts & Crafts. He gained experience working with the renowned cabinetmaker Jacob Kjaer and the architectural firm of Peter Hvidt and Orla Molgaard-Nielsen. In 1944, Wikkelsø relocated to Århus, where he embarked on a career as an interior designer.
In 1954, he ventured into designing his own furniture and, shortly thereafter, established his own workshop. Following the footsteps of fellow Danish contemporaries like Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, and Hans Wegner, Wikkelsø’s designs are characterized by a focus on formal simplicity and biomorphic silhouettes.
His background in cabinetry endowed him with a deep understanding of materials and meticulous attention to detail. Utilizing teak and rosewood, he crafted intricately sculpted forms. Wikkelsø firmly believed in creating furniture that not only endured the test of time but also cradled the body and appealed to the aesthetic senses. The Cappela series of chairs and couches were designed in 1959 and were produced in the 1960s by N. Eilersen. The chair is part of a modular program where chairs could be assembled into sofas of infinite length.
OUR CAPPELA CHAIR
As you might have guessed, these chairs aren’t cheap. Apart from the fact that they are of course a true designer classic, they are also incredibly sturdy built. These days, it’s so easy to just buy all your stuff from Ikea, but there is something about these quality chairs that bring something Ikea doesn’t: character. That said, we still love Ikea and will
While my wife was browsing Facebook Marketplace, she came across this Illum Wikkelsø chair. Seeing these chairs normally go for insane amounts of money, we were able to get a good deal on it. It does however need some work. The woven bands of the seating are not there anymore so that is in need of a fix. The same goes for the actual fabric. I’m not sure if it is the original, but the colour isn’t our cup of tea.
Thankfully, the teak wood is in perfect condition! I absolutely love the look of it and even with the flaws it was sitting nicely.
THE END RESULT
We had a clear vision of how we wanted the chair to look, so we took to a carpenter and choose a lovely mind green. The woven bands were missing on ours, and were replaced by some wooden plank. That said we left our chair in the hands of the carpenter and a week later the chair was ready for pickup.
The chair turned out amazing! The mint green works perfect with the teak wood. The details in both fabric and wood are enhancing one another. One of my favourite parts of this chair is the arm rests. These are made in the same way as a cricket bat, in that two pieces are glued to the top of the armpit. I love how it all came together and how it fits perfectly in our living room.
Follow more stories like this here.
Wat een interessant stukje over de stoel, en wat is hij mooi geworden😍