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How the Shakers Influenced the Father of Danish Modern, Kaare Klint

When buying modern, Danish modern or contemporary dining room chairs Amish furniture crafters may not be the first outlet you think of. In fact, the Amish craft many modern chair designs in solid native hardwoods. Their designs span a wide range of selections, such as the ladderbacks created in an assortment of woods, stains and sizes. These ladderbacks are reminiscent of the anonymous chairs the modern Danish furniture designer and architect Kaare Klint (1888-1954 in Denmark) designed.

Kaare Klint is considered the founder of modern Danish furniture but Klint was no ground-breaker. Instead he attempted to meld time-tested design elements with modern furniture concepts. Klint held the belief that you must thoroughly understand classical furniture by means of the materials used, the proportions of the design and how it was constructed in order to design new pieces. Klint was said to have been most heavily influenced by the American Shakers and their sturdy and useful furniture. Klint, like the Shakers and the Amish, created exemplary pieces historically known for their construction, charm, functionality and warm wood finishes.

Kaare Klint believed in functional, practical and timeless furniture. Like the Arts and Crafts founders that he was exposed to, Klint’s pieces were always based on close investigation of design history, fulfillment of purpose and be proportionate to the human body. Above that it must have materials and craftsmanship of the highest quality and serve a function higher than its own aesthetics. As a matter of fact he called his designs “tools for living”. Today the Amish woodworkers, true followers of form following function, build tools for your modern lifestyle that will last a lifetime and beyond.

These chairs are available in oak, cherry, maple, hickory and various stain options. You, the modern collector, can now invest in heritage quality, modern designed chairs to compliment any Amish built table or just replace lower grade chairs you currently own. Like the Amish, Klint was renowned for his attention to craftsmanship, with no detail forgotten.

Tags: amish chairs, Amish Furniture, contemporary furniture, danish modern, kaare klint, ladderback chairs, modern furniture, shaker chairs

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 2:00 am and is filed under Amish Furniture, Dining Room Chairs, Dining Room Furniture, History of Furniture Making, Solid Wood Furniture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.