Carl Hansen & Son now represents another great Danish design luminary, Mogens Koch, whose pieces complement the work of Hans J. Wegner beautifully. Mogens Koch is best known for his iconic Shelving System, which has enjoyed international acclaim for 80 years.
Mogens Koch’s Shelving System, a modern icon.
Two of Denmark’s greatest furniture designers – Hans J. Wegner and Mogens Koch – were brought together under one roof last year when Carl Hansen & Son acquired the prestigious furniture workshop Rud. Rasmussen. The alliance broadens Carl Hansen & Son’s portfolio of top Danish handcrafted furniture designs.
“Koch’s and Wegner’s pieces complement each other exceedingly well and are, by virtue of their simple idiom and choice of materials, natural extensions of each other,” says Knud Erik Hansen, CEO of Carl Hansen & Son. “We are proud to be able to bring the two masters together, and especially to show the world the elegant aesthetics that are also characteristic of Mogens Koch’s work.”
Mogens Koch, an architect, is renowned for his Folding Furniture and his legendary Shelving System, which has become an icon for design lovers all over the world. When he sketched out the Shelving System in 1928, he created a concept that would spawn countless reproductions far beyond Denmark’s borders. Rud. Rasmussen developed the first prototype in 1930, and production commenced in 1932. Today – 80 years later – the Mogens Koch Shelving System is still exclusively manufactured by the joinery workshop Rud. Rasmussens Snedkerier A/S in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The system of quadratic bookcases is exceptionally flexible and features an extensive range of modular elements. The basic six-section unit can be organised so that the sections are either short or tall depending on their contents – an ingenious construction in its own right. Its beautiful dovetail and rabbet joints are characteristic features of both design and craftsmanship and give the individual units strength and stability.

Mogens Koch’s designs are few, but all are significant, pioneering, original, and at times daring. His furniture offers some of the most elegant and essential solutions to the requirements of comfort, functionality and aesthetics. Mogens Koch’s own life had a significant impact on the furniture pieces he designed over the years, and the Shelving System is no exception: he initially designed it for his own home, which had small rooms that required flexible shelving solutions.
The Shelving System is available in oak and ash with either soap or oil/white oil finishes. These versions will be in shops from September 2012. Other versions of the Shelving System are still marketed by Rud. Rasmussen Snedkerier A/S, Nørrebrogade 45, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Recommended retail price from £659, excluding VAT.
www.carlhansen.com
Note to Editors:
Carl Hansen & Son is a Danish-owned furniture manufacturer established in 1908. The company is headquartered in Aarup, Denmark and currently has a staff of around 120. Carl Hansen & Son is one of Denmark’s oldest manufacturers of high-end furniture and the world’s largest producer of furniture designed by Hans J. Wegner. With solid roots in Danish cabinetmaking traditions
and an understanding of the latest in production technology, Carl Hansen & Son creates furniture that lasts for generations.
Designer furniture from Carl Hansen & Son is sold all over the world. See more at www.carlhansen.com.