Mid-Century Danish Bar Stool by Piet Hein for Fritz Hansen, 1972

Born in Holland in 1967, Piet Hein Eek graduated from the Academy for Industrial Design in Eindhoven in 1990. While still a student, he attracted considerable attention for his Scrap Wood Cupboard (1990) project. Inspired by the beauty inherent in discarded and readymade materials, this series celebrated the contrasting textures and colors of the lumber remnants from which it was composed. With the success of this early venture, Eek was able to launch his own design studio in 1992.

The following year, he partnered with designer Nob Ruijrok, launching Eek en Rujigrok v.o.f. Today, the pair continues to work out of a 10,000 square meter multi-purpose space in Eindhoven, which includes a restaurant, shop, gallery, showroom, and studio. In addition to the collaborative work, Eek also works on individual, handicraft-driven projects.

Throughout his career, Eek’s aesthetic has centered on a love of old and discarded materials, often repurposing them using time-honored wood-working methods. His instantly recognizable work considers the tension between modernity and tradition, waste and sustainability. Eek has exhibited in venues across the globe, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Cïbone in Tokyo, and the Milan Furniture Fair.

Danish cabinetmaker Fritz Hansen founded his eponymous furniture manufacturing company with his son Christian in Copenhagen in 1885. The first three decades were dedicated to hand-making wood and iron frames for upholstered furniture. In 1915, however, Christian began to introduce industrial processes, such as steam-bending wood, which enabled the family business to mass-produce at a larger scale.

In 1932, Christian brought in his own sons, Fritz and Søren, who updated the product line to include more modernist styles, like Søren’s Thonet-inspired DAN Chair (1930) and a cantilevered wicker and tubular steel chair by architect Mogens Lassen (1933). Other early classics in the Fritz Hansen catalog include Kaare Klint’s Church Chair (1936), Hans Wegner’s China Chair (1944), and Børge Mogensen’s Spoke Back Sofa (1945).

During the 1950s—thanks especially to the contributions of architect Arne Jacobsen—Fritz Hansen entered its golden era, creating some of the most iconic Scandinavian designs of the 20th century. Arne Jacobsen’s Ant Chair (1952), Swan Sofa (1958) and Egg Chair & Ottoman (1958), as well as later designs by Verner Panton, Piet Hein, and Grete Jalk, all helped to cement Fritz Hansen’s legacy as one of the most beloved producers of high quality, simple-yet-elegant, Danish modern furniture.

In 1979, after 107 years of family ownership, Fritz Hansen was bought out by Skandinavisk Holding and is now known as The Republic of Fritz Hansen. Pieces from the company’s long history can be found in nearly every design museum collection there is, from MoMA and Cooper Hewitt in New York to the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. Arne Jacobsen’s collaboration with Fritz Hansen was the subject of the Siéntate Siéntete exhibition, hosted by the Chamber of Architects in Madrid in 2010.  

* All images courtesy of Republic of Fritz Hansen.