Fredericia Furniture

Fredericia is known and celebrated for iconic pieces of furniture, including the Spanish Chair and the J39 Mogensen Chair.

Fredericia began as a workshop named Fredericia Stolefabrik ––Fredericia Chair Factory. Named after the city of Fredericia, the workshop was known for focusing on traditional craftmanship while also bringing in modern industrial production processes. Fredericia instantly established a reputation for providing high-quality furniture in traditional styles.

In 1955, entrepreneur and CEO Andreas Graversen merged high-quality heritage furniture with modern ideals by collaborating with Børge Mogensen, Fredericia’s first in-house designer, who went on to design classics like the J39 Mogensen Chair, which continues to be celebrated by museums, collectors, designs, and architects around the world. Over the years, Fredericia expanded their circle of designers to include Hans J. Wegner, Jasper Morrison, Barber Osgerby, Cecile Manz, and many more. Each collaboration is based on a deep mutual trust in renewing and reinterpreting Frederica's design ethos.

Fast forward to the present, and Fredericia remains owned by the Graversen family, preserving Frederick's design values while continuing to introduce new designs.

“We strive for clarity, good materials, human empathy, and above all strength – both in design and business.” - Andreas Graversen, CEO for Fredericia, 1955-1995.

Core Values
Fredericia is driven by three core values:

Craftsmanship: Fredericia focuses on local production facilities based in Denmark, with facilities for selected designs still in the namesake city of Fredericia
Legacy: Everything Fredericia produces is built on a strong tradition of Danish craftmanship and design, reinforced by long-lasting designer collaborations
Sustainability: As a B-corp, Fredericia holds the highest standards of sustainability in every aspect of business and production
Fredericia Design Icons
Now, with an understanding of Fredericia's story, let's walk through some of the most well-loved Fredericia designs.

Known as the 'People's Chair,' the J39 Mogensen Chair was first introduced in 1947 and is considered a design icon for its minimalist appearance and robust craftsmanship. The J39 Chair is designed to last for generations. This chair earned its nickname due to its widespread appeal and lasting popularity in Scandinavian homes. The J39 can also be found across the globe in restaurants and other public places including the Royal Danish Academy of Music and the School of Architecture. Mogensen designed J39 by simplifying Kaare Klint's 1936 Church Chair, creating a more standardized expression, changing the backrest from four horizontal slats to a single gently curved backrest. Curved back legs were changed to fully vertical legs, resulting in a chair with perfect proportions and construction that offers excellent comfort, too.

“When you look at the J39, you might not see a very elaborate design piece at first sight, but looking closer, you can see how the proportions and the details make up a very considered design," remarks Rasmus Graversen, Fredericia CEO and 3rd generation of the Graversen family.

Designed by Børge Mogensen in collaboration with Fredericia in 1958, the iconic Spanish Chair features a solid oak or walnut frame combined with an extremely high-quality saddle leather. While traveling through Spain, designer Mogensen came upon an ornate chair featuring wide armrests in a traditional style commonly found in medieval era furniture construction in Spain. Mogensen took this medieval form and modernized it, incorporating solid oak and saddle leather that is tanned and tailored in a Swedish tannery that practices a traditional organic tanning method. We love how the signature wide armrests provide enough room to rest a cup of coffee or a book.