9
It was a Czech artist that first brought Finn Juhl
to the forefront of my design mind. Nearly ten
years ago we worked with a creative, freespirited artist on her Chelsea home. She had an
eclectic, enquiring mind and combine d art from around the
world with pieces of contemporary and vintage furniture
to create a very compelling family home. Finn Juhl’s Poet
sofa was one of the pieces we used in her study and I
remember then thinking how relevant it looked today more
than 75 years after its birth.
I grew up in Stockholm on an island in the inner
archipelago. Mid-century design wasn’t a fashion – it was
a way of life for us and every home had a piece of furniture
in it that would now be called a design classic. Although
we didn’t own something from him, Finn Juhl was a name
we all knew. At that time our design practice worked on
a variety of residential projects but we didn’t have a retail
space to show the pieces we loved. I filed the Poet sofa in
the back of my mind along with the select heroes of design
that I have assembled over the years of working in the
design industry, sure that I would have a home for it in the
near future. I was right – it just took a little longer than I
had imagined.
“MID-CENTURY DESIGN WASN’T
A FASHION - IT WAS A WAY OF
LIFE FOR US...”
Opposite page: Poet Sofa in Chelsea Home, London project;
This page clockwise from top: Poet Sofa in classic upholstery; Details
on France chair as seen in our London showroom; France chair on
display; additional carved arm details of France chair