Danish Chairs ID  

@browkin. Found a set with the mark for Soro stolefabrik.

No mention of designer.

Hello

I hope you are all well. I purchased what I believe to be a Kai Kristiansen Paper Knife armchair last week and I am now having second thoughts about its being genuine. The Danish stamps look genuine, stamped into the wood as per the original, although missing the Magnus Olesen mark and the wood is definitely teak. Looking at the side rail or apron, I now think that the original is longer. The back / splats on mine are horizontal, what I can see from looking online at other Paper Knife chairs, the are vertical. The version I have is also very small and I was really surprised when I unpacked it. Was there more than one version or have I purchased a ringer? Many thanks.

Posted by: Paul

Hello

I hope you are all well. I purchased what I believe to be a Kai Kristiansen Paper Knife armchair last week and I am now having second thoughts about its being genuine. The Danish stamps look genuine, stamped into the wood as per the original, although missing the Magnus Olesen mark and the wood is definitely teak. Looking at the side rail or apron, I now think that the original is longer. The back / splats on mine are horizontal, what I can see from looking online at other Paper Knife chairs, the are vertical. The version I have is also very small and I was really surprised when I unpacked it. Was there more than one version or have I purchased a ringer? Many thanks.

Posted by: Paul

Posted by: Paul

Hello

I hope you are all well. I purchased what I believe to be a Kai Kristiansen Paper Knife armchair last week and I am now having second thoughts about its being genuine. The Danish stamps look genuine, stamped into the wood as per the original, although missing the Magnus Olesen mark and the wood is definitely teak. Looking at the side rail or apron, I now think that the original is longer. The back / splats on mine are horizontal, what I can see from looking online at other Paper Knife chairs, the are vertical. The version I have is also very small and I was really surprised when I unpacked it. Was there more than one version or have I purchased a ringer? Many thanks.

 

@Lexi: thank you very much. 

@Paul: Far from being an expert or also no experience in Kai Krisitiansen paper knife chairs. But when it comes to knockoffs I have the following thought. Your chairs are approx. from the 60s-70s. That means they are approx. 50-60 years old. I think you see this "aging" in the condition. E.g. you see that the chairs are old and were not produced in recent years. Back then in the 60s-70s they didn't produce knockoffs, since it would be very expensive. If then it's something what can happen nowadays with modern production properties e.g. in China. So, all I wanna say is if you see that the chairs are old, it's most likely not a knockoff. 

Regarding the different stamps, they can vary from one to another production period. That's pretty common. 

@browkin Oh, they did produce knockoffs and they did it a lot. Different measurements, different details and missing mark could be an indicator. But I don’t know if Magnus Olesen made different versions. I can try to find out though and ask a real expert. Quick side note to @Paul It would have been better to open up a new thread. 

Thanks very much for replying. If you could help out with identifying if different versions were made, this would be very helpful. If you think it best that I open a new thread, I can do this? Cheers!

@herringbone: Thank you for the info. One more question. For me it is still not logical. Who would be then the one who produces knockoffs? It would be hardly a private person. So, it need to be at least a sort of furniture producer. And serial production with hundred and thousands of produced genuine chairs will be always cheaper than taylormade knockoffs. 

@Browkin. There were a number of superb carpenters working for Scandinavian manufacturers during the 50s and 60s and onwards, a few may have taken it upon themselves to venture elsewhere. I don't think we're talking mass market forgeries here, just the odd one or two. I know small American businesses would do it. I just need to get an idea if the chair that I have is genuine, fake or maybe even prototype. The latter highly improbable.

Have a good look at this image and tell me what piece furniture this is.

@paul. Hans Olsen for Frem Mobelfabrik. Designed early 50's.

That's what I thought, but it isn't.

This is a unique, custom made piece from the 1970’s by Gothic Cabinet Craft of New York based on the Hans Olsen Roundette suite from the 1950‘s.

Unlike the Frem Rojle version it appears that the table is finished in walnut, as you would expect from a US piece, rather than teak. Likewise the chairs appear to be of stained beech to match the table colourway.

This is a truly one-off piece which sets it aside from factory produced models and which has the sturdiness of a hand finished item. The immediate thing that gives it away as a repro is the shape of the seats.

@paul. I thought it might have been a trick question given your previous post!! 😀