Danish Cane+Teak Chair?  

@dvk Oh, it's no doubt that this chair was designed by Illum Wikkelsoe. The question is only whether the caning is original. Now I tend to say no, which would make restoration decissions pretty easy. You can weave paper cord on the seat and backrest, just the way it was done originally. Or, if you want to leave the cane on, you'd have to renew the seat the way it was. I just wouldn't mix a papercord seat with a caned backrest.

Thank you.  Appreciate the clarification.  

One other note (for what its worth)--I do not see any evidence of there having been those little L nails used in paper cord weaving.  The rubber seat straps are held by upholstery nails, but I don't see any other holes in the frame.  

I totally agree with @cdsilva. The cane looks original, and I can't imagine there was cord before and one would find someone to replace the cord with such a difficult caning. I would not be surprised either if you would find out that the seat was originally in cane too, but the upholstered seat makes a kind of sense...

And a cane seat would break sooner than the backrest.....so it was probably easier ( and cheaper ) to have it upholstered and make the chair useable again.

@lexi - it makes perfectly sense. 

The cane looks old, but is just an assumption to say because it looks old that it is original. Not all paper cord designs needed L shape nails depending on the weave.

I am playing devils advocate to an extent but I think that the weave on the design is known to be solid, it seems strange to me the alternative would be cane with gaps in. All this to say I don't think the cane is original.

with close up pictures on the wooden frame, one could see whether there are slots in the wood of the size to accommodate specifically cane and not cord. And at the end it might be true that for any crazy reason cane was not the original thing. But all these archeological exercises are fun, right ?

I've cropped that part, I agree and it's also a contributing aspect in my thought process. It looks like an additional strip is added there. i know thats fairly normal for caning, but it's hardly the neatest and I'd have expected it to be teak too?

Hi again and thank you all for continuing to try to figure out this chair.  I've contacted Elizabeth Wikkelsoe and also the company N. Eilersen, and no one has additional information about what might have been original.  I've attached a few more pics of the seat and back frame.  They do appear to be a different wood than the arms/legs (i.e., not teak).  If I understand @andersen correctly, someone should be able to tell from the top back frame whether it can accomodate cord or just rattan.  Is that accurate?  I have been reluctant to this point to take off the rattan but can probably do so in a way to preserve the pattern.  Should that be the next step?  Thanks again.  

One more than shows frame too