The Kettelhut Chair | Finn Juhl | 1951
With its broad, enveloping armrests, the Kettelhut Chair is a striking example of Finn Juhl’s artistic approach to furniture design. Originally known as SW 86, the chair was first produced in Denmark, but Finn Juhl had international ambitions and sent the drawing to the American manufacturer Baker Furniture. Today, the chair bears the honorary name Kettelhut, after Mary Ellen Kettelhut, former Vice President of Marketing at Baker and owner of the original watercolor drawing. It is hand-upholstered in Denmark in either textile or leather, with a frame crafted from a refined combination of solid oak and walnut.
Please note that the versions shown here represent only a selection of the many available options. For a complete overview of colors and materials, please explore the material page.
Design:
Finn Juhl
Year:
1951, relaunched in 2024
Materials:
Frame: Solid FSC® certified oak and American walnut
Upholstery:
Leather or textile
Model and Dimensions:
FJ 5186
W: 81 cm D: 74 cm H: 88 cm Seat height: 42 cm
With its broad, enveloping armrests, the Kettelhut Chair is a striking example of Finn Juhl’s artistic approach to furniture design. Originally known as SW 86, the chair was first produced in Denmark, but Finn Juhl had international ambitions and sent the drawing to the American manufacturer Baker Furniture. Today, the chair bears the honorary name Kettelhut, after Mary Ellen Kettelhut, former Vice President of Marketing at Baker and owner of the original watercolor drawing. It is hand-upholstered in Denmark in either textile or leather, with a frame crafted from a refined combination of solid oak and walnut.
Design:
Finn Juhl
Year:
1951, relaunched in 2024
Materials:
Frame: Solid FSC® certified oak and American walnut
Upholstery:
Leather or textile
Model and Dimensions:
FJ 5186
W: 81 cm D: 74 cm H: 88 cm Seat height: 42 cm
A Chair with International Appeal
When Finn Juhl sketched the Kettelhut Chair, he already knew it was a design meant to reach beyond Denmark’s borders. Confident in its distinct design, he explicitly marked the drawing: "Production and sales rights abroad reserved for Finn Juhl." This allowed him to begin production in Denmark and simultaneously send the design to Baker Furniture in Michigan, USA.
The chair was originally manufactured at Søren Willadsen Møbelfabrik, a Danish workshop known for its proud craftsmanship traditions. Throughout the 1940s and ’50s, Finn Juhl had numerous pieces produced there. The SW 86 was designed at the height of his career, a time when his work was gaining wide recognition – especially in the United States.
This growing interest led to high-profile projects such as the interior of the Trusteeship Council Chamber at the United Nations in New York (inaugurated in 1952), and iconic pieces like the Baker Sofa and the Cocktail Table — both inspired by the elegance of American high-society culture.
The Kettelhut Connection
In 2021, House of Finn Juhl was contacted by Mary Ellen Kettelhut, who wrote that she owned an original Finn Juhl watercolor drawing. As the former Vice President of Marketing at Baker Furniture, she had received it as a gift from her employer.
Hans Henrik Sørensen, co-founder of House of Finn Juhl, recalls how the drawing caught his attention:
"Mary Ellen Kettelhut asked if we were interested in the watercolor, as she had retired from a long career in the furniture industry, most recently with Herman Miller. However, after several pleasant conversations, she decided to keep it, and I promised that if we ever put the chair into production, we would name it after her."
Mary Ellen Kettelhut also mentioned that several furniture designs had been developed at Baker Furniture but never realized. With this new knowledge, it became clear that the chair – with its powerful yet unassuming presence – deserved to be brought into production and presented to the world.
