OW149 Colo­nial Chair

The OW149 Colo­nial Chair designed by Olé Wanscher for Carl Hansen & Søn is, without a doubt, his signa­ture design. Recently rein­tro­duced along with the Colo­nial sofa and the Colo­nial coffee table, the launch restores the Colo­nial as a furni­ture series in which Wanscher’s mini­mal­ist, func­tional approach is at the center of a complete story told through a unified visual expression.

The OW149 Colo­nial Chair dates back to 1949 and clearly reflects Wanscher’s fond­ness for the deli­cate and refined, as well as for his fasci­na­tion with furni­ture design from 18th-century England and bygone colo­nial times. Wanscher wished to create furni­ture that paid tribute to classic conser­v­a­tive trends but also stood the test of time and was so success­ful in achiev­ing this balance that the colo­nial chair remains his best-known furni­ture design to this day.

Featur­ing a rela­tively simple lattice construc­tion, its elements support one another. The chair’s slender dimen­sions are kept minimal, its strength achieved instead through a well-conceived struc­ture. Despite their sculp­tured form, the indi­vid­ual compo­nents come together in simple joints, as no two surfaces lie on the same plane. All the design tran­si­tions are visu­ally well-defined. the front and back legs are made of round timber, while the armrest cross-sections form slender ellipses that taper into a refined curved profile. The sophis­ti­cated, slightly curved armrests rise to a point before taking a verti­cal turn down­wards – a well-known feature of Wanscher’s design.

Despite its beau­ti­ful, light­weight construc­tion, the OW149 Colo­nial chair is extremely strong and durable. The chair is avail­able in mahogany, cherry, walnut, and oak with a hand-woven cane seat, while the cush­ions come in a range of fabrics and leather. For quick-ship options, please see the spec sheet to the left or call 800.886.0867 for details.