Jens risom coffee tables
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more works by Jens Risom
Jens Risom (May 8, – December 9, ) was a Danish-American furniture designer and entrepreneur. He is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of mid-century modern design in the United States.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Risom was exposed to the world of design from an early age. His father, Sven Risom, was a prominent architect in Denmark, and this familial influence played a significant role in shaping Jens's interest in design and craftsmanship. He studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen, where he honed his skills in furniture design.
In , Risom immigrated to the United States, settling in New York City. Shortly after his arrival, he met the renowned architect and designer Hans Knoll. This meeting would prove to be a turning point in Risom's career, as he joined forces with Knoll to establish the Hans Knoll Furniture Company. Together, they aimed to bring European modernism to the American market.
Risom's design philosophy was charac
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Jens Risom
The first true Knoll designer, Jens Risom joined the ung Hans Knoll Furniture Company in the early s as the sole designer of interiors and furniture. Born in Denmark to the well-known architect Sven Risom, Jens worked in Stockholm for one year before graduating from the prestigious Kundstandvaerkerskolen in Copenhagen.
Risom left Denmark for the United States in and, for two years, served as Director of Interior Design at the studio of Dan Cooper, Inc. in New York before starting a freelance career specializing in furniture and textiles. It was during this time that he met Hans Knoll. The pair collaborated on an exhibition for the New York World’s Fair. Knoll asked Risom, who had been searching for a promoter and manufacturer, to help him design interiors for clients around New York.
With Hans handling client relations and Jens planning interiors and designing furniture when needed, the pair began to take on more design projects. In they printed the first Knoll C
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Jens Risom Tables
The Danish-born Jens Risom brought the Scandinavian modern design sensibility to a wide audience in the United States. As the first designer for Knoll Inc., Risom introduced American buyers to the region’s enduring design values of simplicity, grace and craftsmanship.
Risom trained in furniture making at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design under Ole Wanscher, alongside classmates Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen. In , a year after graduating from business school, Risom decided to move to the U.S.
While working for an interior designer in New York in , he met Hans Knoll, and the businessman and the designer hit it off. They brought out their first line the next year, despite wartime materials restrictions. The signature piece — now a design icon — was a lounge chair with a striking, undulant birch frame and a seat made of webbed sub-military grade parachute straps. Risom was drafted into the army, and served as a translator under General George Pat