Danish furniture designer Poul Volther was first classically trained as a cabinetmaker in the Danish tradition of many architects before going to the Danish School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen to study furniture. He later on taught at Denmark’s Design School and espoused functionalism with a focus on fine craftsmanship.
Volther is celebrated most for his Corona Chair with its accompanying ottoman (1961; Summit Lounge Chair and Ottoman) and long history. Volther faced the accompanying post-war problems of the period that his peers did- the challenge of cannily and fully utilizing the potential of their limited resources. This led to the ‘floating spine’ and contoured cushions in a line that made up the Corona chair. The chair was also inspired by the corona of the sun — concentric circles of light around it — which was also germane then with the 1960s Space Race. Volther's Corona Chair design found favour with the Americans. Volther worked on various models of the Corona Chair over the years but it wasn’t until 1997 that the chair finally achieved international success with the public. The Corona Chair was also used at the EU Summit at Copenhagen in 2002, a year after Volther’s passing.
The chair shown above is a replica.
View all of our Poul Volther-inspired products in our Modern Classics collection
