Frits Henningsen’s FH38 Windsor Chair in a light and breezy corner
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This corner of our bedroom is forever changing and since we decorated and lived with it for a few years, we’ve come to realise that storage is still somewhat lacking. To that end, sometimes it gets relegated to a dumping ground and others it's more considered and organised! In the not-too-distant future, we hope to give it an update with a built-in wardrobe system.
However, this summer we had the pleasure of sharing our room with the reissued FH38 Windsor Chair. Designed by Danish architect and cabinetmaker Frits Henningsen in 1938, the chair was in constant production with Carl Hansen & Søn until 2003. It’s now back with subtle adjustments to suit modern living. This includes the option to customise with a leather seat cushion, offering a more comfy twist on a classic Windsor chair in soaped FSC-certified oak.
Who Was Frits Henningsen?
One of the most influential movers and shakers of the Danish Golden Age of design, Frits Henningsen’s perfectionist approach to furniture design looked to the past to create functional, modern pieces with soft curves and a timeless expression.
Born in 1889, Henningsen began his career in 1911 as an apprentice in Copenhagen with one of the most renowned cabinetmakers of his time, I.P Mørck. After completing his training, he travelled Europe and was taken by a variety of historical design idioms in Germany, France and England. He opened his own store in Copenhagen in 1915. Aesthetically, Henningsen was heavily influenced by Rococo and 17th-century English furniture, bringing his minimalist Scandinavian expression to more traditional designs.
The original Windsor chair first appeared in England around the 16th century and were manufactured in High Wycombe, once a thriving area for the British furniture industry. Today, Carl Hansen & Søn continue to produce this modern interpretation.
The FH38 is a typical ‘sack-back’ Windsor design that places it somewhere between a lounge chair and a dining chair, though I’ve been using it for reading and journaling in the mornings.
I love how the warmth of the oak harmonises with the soft beige in our bedroom - I am, as always, a complete sucker for tone-on-tone styling.
As a cabinetmaker, Henningsen’s Windsor chair design features a range of demanding carpentry techniques that demonstrate just how skilled Carl Hansen & Søn’s craftsmen are. A carved seat welcomes more modern proportions and the 14 spindles at the back require no glue but a series of tightenings that provide the gentle sloping back.
It’s almost impossible not to want to run your hands along the steam-bent armrests that join to an organic, smooth tip. These are achieved by sanding by hand using what’s been called the “feel test”, meaning every chair is slightly different based on the craftsman finishing each armrest.
Discover the understated simplicity of the FH38 Windsor chair, available through Carl Hansen & Søn Flagship Stores or your nearest dealer.
Styling & photography © Tiffany Grant-Riley
