Kaare Klint (1888-1954) was a Danish architect and furniture designer and is known to be the father of modern Danish furniture design. He emphasizes clean and pure lines, from the wall designs (paint, wallpaper, etc) to the use of the best materials of his time with superior craftsmanship. Klint was the son of the influential architect Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint whose work the Grundtvig’s Church he completed after his father died in 1930.
Early life of Kaare Klint
Kaare Klint was born on December 15, 1888 in Copenhagen. He was the son of Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint who was a struggling painter during that time. Peder was about to abandon his career as a painter to look for a more secure career in architecture. Meanwhile, Klint worked as an apprentice in a furniture shop in Kalundborg and Copenhagen from 1893. He then studied at a technical school in Copenhagen, Jens Moller-Jensens furniture school and the Artists’ Studio Schools under Johan Rohde.
Career as a designer
In 1914, Klint designed his first furniture piece, the Faaborg Chair, which is for Carl Petersen’s Faaborg Museum. Since then, Klint created furniture pieces and fittings for different museums.
In 1921-1926, Klint was also responsible for the conversion of Frederiks Hospital into the Danish Museum of Art and Design. He worked with Thorkild Henningsen and Ivar Bentsen. Klint also created a chair in mahogany for the museum which was inspired by English 18th-century chairs. Among his other works are the designs of textiles, lamps and organs.
Designing and creating furniture
Klint established the furniture school at the Royal Academy in 1924. As a strong influence for Danish furniture, he shaped various designers such as Poul Kjaerholm and Borge Mogensen. His designs are focused on functionality, proportions adapted to the human body, craftsmanship and the use of high quality materials. Some of his works are the Propeller stool (1927), the Safari Chair and the Deck chair (193