Poet Sofa

Design  Finn Juhl
Manufacturer  House of Finn Juhl
Made in  Denmark
Dimensions  L 136cm x D80cm x H 87cm x SH 37cm
Colour & Materiality Legs: walnut, oak or black stained; Upholstery: fabric or leather

This small two-seater sofa first saw the light of day at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition in 1941. It should be seen as a natural progression from the Pelican Chair that was displayed the previous year. The upholstery is very slim compared to the norm at the time and it was the result of Finn Juhl’s ambition to create functional furniture for smaller apartments.

The Poet Sofa is also one of Finn Juhl’s experiments for his own home. At the Guild Exhibition, the sofa was shown together with a couple of plaster reliefs by artist Sigurjón Ólafsson. In this way, he indicated the link between furniture and sculpture. The small sofa is a very comfortable embrace for two people, who will be sitting comfortably close.

As one of the leading figures in twentieth century furniture design, Finn Juhl is responsible for introducing North America to the Danish Modern movement through his work on the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Originally trained as an architect, he began creating furniture for himself in the 1930's and soon gained widespread recognition for his organic forms and expressive treatment of wood, often taking the material past the limits of what was thought possible. Thinking with the mindset of a sculptor, his ambition was to design furniture with movement and life.