Bodil Kjær - 90th birthday
A true polymath, Bodil Kjær’s accomplishments span architecture, furniture design, and academia. In celebration of her 90th birthday, Karakter reflects on the inspiring legacy of Denmark’s dame of design.
Bodil Kjær became a leader in the Danish Modern design movement, with a trailblazing talent that crossed continents and disciplines. Now, as she rings in her 90th birthday, Karakter honor a visionary whose ability to create “elements of architecture,” as she calls her furniture designs, continues to influence the design world today.
As she recalls, it was frustration at the functional and aesthetic problems she encountered on the job that led her to design her own office pieces – from furniture and light fixtures to glass vases – as a solution. While not sold publicly, they were soon sought out by pre-eminent modernist architects, including Marcel Breuer and Paul Rudolph, who used them in their own buildings.
As an architect first and foremost, Kjær always approached furniture design with the desire to solve problems. It’s this deeply practical and pragmatic ethos that ensures her creations remain as relevant and revered today.
Congratulations Bodil!
The Office Desk
In 1959, Kjær was asked by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to design a desk. The result – a long, slim palisander tabletop placed upon an angular steel base – was heralded as ‘the most beautiful desk in the world,’ with its icon status cemented after it appeared in three early James Bond films.
The Principal Series
In the Principal series, Kjær’s skillful ability to unify form and function is also on full display. The collection – which features a series of dining tables, chairs, and more – reflects her resolutely functionalist aesthetic, with each piece defined by its strong lines, light silhouette, and lack of superfluous detail.