The 44 Chair | Finn Juhl | 1944
Finn Juhl's exclusive 44 Chair, also known as the Bone Chair, is a collector’s item and has achieved cult status in the design world. The chair is solely produced in limited series. In 2023, we reintroduced this iconic piece to our collection by producing 100 chairs, which were sold through official Finn Juhl retailers worldwide and are no longer available. The series was crafted in oak or walnut and upholstered in either black or undyed vegetal tanned leather. Each chair was individually numbered and accompanied by a signed certificate. Stay updated through our channels for potential future limited releases.
Please note that the actual colours and materials may vary due to image editing and differences in screen balances and settings. The versions shown are intended to serve only as examples. We kindly encourage you to view the physical material samples at our official retailers. Learn more about our materials here: material page.
Design:
Finn Juhl
Year:
1944
Materials:
Oak or walnut
Upholstery:
Leather
Model and Dimensions:
FJ 4400
W: 61 cm | D: 52 cm | H: 74 cm
Seat height: 47 cm
Finn Juhl's exclusive 44 Chair, also known as the Bone Chair, is a collector’s item and has achieved cult status in the design world. The chair is solely produced in limited series. In 2023, we reintroduced this iconic piece to our collection by producing 100 chairs, which were sold through official Finn Juhl retailers worldwide and are no longer available. The series was crafted in oak or walnut and upholstered in either black or undyed vegetal tanned leather. Each chair was individually numbered and accompanied by a signed certificate. Stay updated through our channels for potential future limited releases.
Design:
Finn Juhl
Year:
1944
Materials:
Oak or walnut
Upholstery:
Leather
Model and Dimensions:
FJ 4400
W: 61 cm | D: 52 cm | H: 74 cm
Seat height: 47 cm
The Complicated Favourite
Together with master cabinetmaker Niels Vodder, Finn Juhl presented the 44 Chair at the Cabinetmakers' Exhibition in 1944. Together they challenged how far one could go with wood as the key material. The Bone Chair was originally made from Cuban mahogany, and only 12 chairs were produced. Although Finn Juhl did not acquire a chair for himself at the time, he remedied this 30 years later by purchasing two chairs from one of the original buyers. At that point, Finn Juhl stated that the chair had now become a classic - and, above all, his personal favourite.
With the 44 Chair, Finn Juhl formed a piece of wood into an organic, bone-like shape, earning it the distinctive nickname the Bone Chair. Finn Juhl described the chair's appearance in 1944 as having "an animalistic pleasing character". Like nature's own constructions, the strength of the wood is utilized to the maximum, with the mass distributed where it is needed most. When studying the 44 Chair, this becomes strikingly apparent.
Uncompromising Craftsmanship and Incomparable Quality
The frame for Finn Juhl's most complex design is crafted by House of Finn Juhl's Japanese partner and hereafter upholstered by hand in Denmark. At the joinery in Yamagata, Japan, the frame is made by the most experienced cabinetmakers, who possess the deepest understanding of the wood's possibilities and limitations. While working on the large solid back-piece of the chair, pauses and drying time are just as essential as the precise work by hand. To achieve the complex shape, uncompromising craftsmanship is required, wherein one must constantly keep an eye on the tension of the material and the load on it.
While the exclusive chair has never been in continuous production, House of Finn Juhl has previously produced limited series of the chair for special occasions. Today, these rare pieces are seen fetching high prices at auctions worldwide.
"Like nature's own constructions,
the strength of the wood is utilized to the maximum,
with the mass distributed where it is needed most.
When studying the 44 Chair, this becomes strikingly apparent."
"Like nature's own constructions,
the strength of the wood is
utilized to the maximum. When
studying the 44 Chair, this
becomes strikingly apparent."
