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Bodil Kjær receives a new lease on life from Carl Hansen & Son

Bodil Kjær – Danish mid-20th-century architect and professor – once designed an iconic, extensive range of furniture for both indoor and outdoor use. In 2019, this is coming back.

The clean and precise furniture series, aptly titled Indoor-Outdoor was developed in dialogue with the surrounding architecture of Denmark. The much loved and heralded collection of Bodil Kjær is back in 2019 thanks to Carl Hansen & Son.

Throughout her diverse career, Bodil Kjær has worked to create ultimate harmony between design and architecture. In 1959, this ambition resulted in the elegant indoor/outdoor furniture series characterised by highly functional and aesthetic qualities.

Furniture inspired by architecture

For Bodil Kjær, designing has always been about the dialogue between architecture and the belief that furniture should be balanced with its environment. In many cases, her designs are linked to specific projects, fulfilling a need for strong aesthetic and functional interplay between buildings, spaces, and interiors. This was the case with Indoor-Outdoor.

“Indoor-Outdoor was designed for modernist spaces and for weather conditions that are very similar to those in Denmark,” says Knud Erik Hansen, Carl Hansen & Son CEO “At the same time, the designs bring together the best of Scandinavian and international design traditions.

“The furniture has a clear identity, an evident simplicity, and is based on high-quality materials and superior craftsmanship. For all these reasons, it makes very good sense to add Bodil Kjær’s sophisticated furniture series to our collection.”

Comprising a lounge chair, small table, dining table and chair, a two-seater lounge sofa, a swing sofa, and a sunbed, the newly relaunched Indoor-Outdoor series is now available in a beautiful solid teak – a material that ages beautifully as time goes on, as well as being highly durable for outdoor use.

Radiating warmth and designer precision, the Indoor-Outdoor series has an elegantly clear form inspired by the cubist idiom. The lounge chair’s inclined, slatted seat and back are stretched between two squares formed by armrests, legs and runners that are mortised together – a detail requiring great skill and craftsmanship. The tables, lounge sofa, swing sofa and dining chair within the series feature the same geometric principle, and the sunbed has a continuous slatted seat and an adjustable back.

The newly relaunched collection is a brilliant reminder of the inspired designer Bodil Kjær is, and a wonderful opportunity for Australians so embrace some iconic Danish design.

The Indoor-Outdoor collection from Carl Hansen & Son is proudly distributed in Australia from Cult.

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