Our Trip to Carl Hansen

Our Trip to Carl Hansen

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Rud Rasmussen Fabrik for Egetræsmøbler (Factory for oak furniture) is one of the oldest and most recognised Danish cabinet makers still producing. What characterised Rud Rasmussen was the close collaboration between the architect and cabinet maker and in this respect the production is quite unique. Their collection of Danish furniture classics is uncompromising in quality and craftsmanship.

The company was started in 1869 by Rudolph Rasmussen and the cabinetmaking business grew from strength to strength, flourishing through 3 generations until the point in the 1950’s & 60’s when they were producing 5,000 Safari chairs a year. However, over the following decades they began to suffer a period of stagnation due to the high costs of making furniture by hand in Copenhagen, they struggled to keep up with the new emerging Danish brands that make their products in China at a fraction of the cost and this meant the company was bought by Carl Hansen in 2011, not for profitable reasons but for the love of an iconic Danish brand.

We were privileged to be allowed access to this historical site to see every stage of the traditional processes involved in making a Rud Rasmussen piece of furniture. Starting off in the cellar of this listed building we saw where their patient and dedicated approach begins, all wood is carefully hand chosen before being dried for up to one year before it is ready for further processing. As we moved up through the building we saw experienced cabinet makers hand crafting these pieces using old stencils and the original machinery because no new machines are of the required quality to replace them. The carpenters would spend hours working on every dovetail joint highlighting the craftsmen and women’s great pride in the quality control expected at every stage. We then got to see where the pieces are upholstered using only the best goat hides which takes longer to sew because it is so much thicker than a normal cow hide.

The experience was like stepping back in time to witness the most authentic and traditional methods of the original cabinet makers. Their prized values are thoroughness, professionalism and respect for the original design and this care and attention means that when you are buying a piece of Rud Rasmussen not only do you get an exceptionally crafted piece of furniture but you are also buying a piece of Danish design history.

The second part of our journey took us to the Carl Hansen factory, founded in 1908 the company might not be quite as old as Rud Rasmussen but still has an incredibly rich history and its beautiful catalogue of furniture dating back to the 1930s to 1960’s has garnered a far greater attention worldwide. The reason for Carl Hansen’s success has been to combine outstanding traditional craftsmanship with rational serial production and the latest technology. This has enabled them to produce high quality furniture of lasting value at more reasonable prices than Rud Rasmussen.

All furniture is made by incredibly skilled craftsmen and women locally in their factory in Aarup and there was a much greater emphasis on hand made skills then we had thought given the quantities of furniture that comes out of the factory. The highlight of the tour was seeing the production process of the wishbone chair. The chair takes a team approximately three weeks to prepare the wood and assemble the 14 parts that make up the chair. Most of the 100 steps are done by hand culminating in over 120 metres of paper cord which is skilfully woven by the local celebrity Benny Hammer Larsen.

Benny is Carl Hansen’s best kept secret and his dedication to the company is so complete that he has a Wishbone tattoo on his forearm. We were even lucky enough to have a go at attempting to weave one of the chairs ourselves although it absolutely failed the rigorous quality control checks that each chair goes through.

The experience of visiting the factory was absolutely fantastic trip and the hospitality of Carl Hansen left a lasting impression which we will be forever grateful for.

Our Trip to Carl Hansen

Rud Rasmussen Fabrik for Egetræsmøbler (Factory for oak furniture) is one of the oldest and most recognised Danish cabinet makers still producing. What characterised Rud Rasmussen was the close collaboration between the architect and cabinet maker and in this respect the production is quite unique. Their collection of Danish furniture classics is uncompromising in quality and craftsmanship.

The company was started in 1869 by Rudolph Rasmussen and the cabinetmaking business grew from strength to strength, flourishing through 3 generations until the point in the 1950’s & 60’s when they were producing 5,000 Safari chairs a year. However, over the following decades they began to suffer a period of stagnation due to the high costs of making furniture by hand in Copenhagen, they struggled to keep up with the new emerging Danish brands that make their products in China at a fraction of the cost and this meant the company was bought by Carl Hansen in 2011, not for profitable reasons but for the love of an iconic Danish brand.

We were privileged to be allowed access to this historical site to see every stage of the traditional processes involved in making a Rud Rasmussen piece of furniture. Starting off in the cellar of this listed building we saw where their patient and dedicated approach begins, all wood is carefully hand chosen before being dried for up to one year before it is ready for further processing. As we moved up through the building we saw experienced cabinet makers hand crafting these pieces using old stencils and the original machinery because no new machines are of the required quality to replace them. The carpenters would spend hours working on every dovetail joint highlighting the craftsmen and women’s great pride in the quality control expected at every stage. We then got to see where the pieces are upholstered using only the best goat hides which takes longer to sew because it is so much thicker than a normal cow hide.

The experience was like stepping back in time to witness the most authentic and traditional methods of the original cabinet makers. Their prized values are thoroughness, professionalism and respect for the original design and this care and attention means that when you are buying a piece of Rud Rasmussen not only do you get an exceptionally crafted piece of furniture but you are also buying a piece of Danish design history.

The second part of our journey took us to the Carl Hansen factory, founded in 1908 the company might not be quite as old as Rud Rasmussen but still has an incredibly rich history and its beautiful catalogue of furniture dating back to the 1930s to 1960’s has garnered a far greater attention worldwide. The reason for Carl Hansen’s success has been to combine outstanding traditional craftsmanship with rational serial production and the latest technology. This has enabled them to produce high quality furniture of lasting value at more reasonable prices than Rud Rasmussen.

All furniture is made by incredibly skilled craftsmen and women locally in their factory in Aarup and there was a much greater emphasis on hand made skills then we had thought given the quantities of furniture that comes out of the factory. The highlight of the tour was seeing the production process of the wishbone chair. The chair takes a team approximately three weeks to prepare the wood and assemble the 14 parts that make up the chair. Most of the 100 steps are done by hand culminating in over 120 metres of paper cord which is skilfully woven by the local celebrity Benny Hammer Larsen.

Benny is Carl Hansen’s best kept secret and his dedication to the company is so complete that he has a Wishbone tattoo on his forearm. We were even lucky enough to have a go at attempting to weave one of the chairs ourselves although it absolutely failed the rigorous quality control checks that each chair goes through.

The experience of visiting the factory was absolutely fantastic trip and the hospitality of Carl Hansen left a lasting impression which we will be forever grateful for.

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