Decorating
Styling: 11 Ways With Hans J Wegner’s Wishbone Chairs
This midcentury Danish piece is a design classic that works in any scheme, from bare to busy, monochrome to colourful
Created by Danish furniture designer Hans J Wegner in 1949 and manufactured by Carl Hansen & Son, this design classic has been in production continuously ever since. What’s the secret of its enduring appeal? As well as the famously high build quality and striking design, the Wishbone chair also offers a fantastic versatility that means it can translate between a wide range of different looks and uses.
Known as one of the founding forces behind the Danish Modern aesthetic, Wegner designed more than 500 chairs in his lifetime. The CH24 Wishbone chair, sometimes known as the ‘y chair’ because of the characteristic shape of its back, is one of the best known and most loved. Originally part of a series of chairs inspired by portraits of Dutch merchants sitting in Ming chairs, it has clean lines and an elegant aesthetic.
Whether you’re keen to make better use of a Wishbone chair you already own, or are considering investing in one (or six!) for your home, here are 11 schemes to inspire you with visions of how this design icon can be used in interior design.
Known as one of the founding forces behind the Danish Modern aesthetic, Wegner designed more than 500 chairs in his lifetime. The CH24 Wishbone chair, sometimes known as the ‘y chair’ because of the characteristic shape of its back, is one of the best known and most loved. Originally part of a series of chairs inspired by portraits of Dutch merchants sitting in Ming chairs, it has clean lines and an elegant aesthetic.
Whether you’re keen to make better use of a Wishbone chair you already own, or are considering investing in one (or six!) for your home, here are 11 schemes to inspire you with visions of how this design icon can be used in interior design.
Be playful
There’s no need to be serious all the time. The candy colours of these Wishbone chairs contrast beautifully with each other and with the bold teal wall behind. Setting the chairs against a backdrop of a very different colour means the design really stands out.
‘We must take care,’ Hans J Wegner once said, ‘that everything doesn’t get so dreadfully serious. We must play – but we must play seriously.’
There’s no need to be serious all the time. The candy colours of these Wishbone chairs contrast beautifully with each other and with the bold teal wall behind. Setting the chairs against a backdrop of a very different colour means the design really stands out.
‘We must take care,’ Hans J Wegner once said, ‘that everything doesn’t get so dreadfully serious. We must play – but we must play seriously.’
Shake it up
A glorious array of chairs in different colours and styles can work well if they are carefully chosen. In this relaxed but stylish dining area, a Wishbone chair sits as part of a mismatched set of dining chairs that also includes two Hay J77 chairs (designed by Folke Pålsson) and a French antique flea market find. A vintage bench behind adds to the playfully mismatched combination.
Always make sure that the height of your chair seats is consistent, even if nothing else is. This is much more pleasing to the eye, but even more importantly, it means that everyone around the table will be sitting at the same height!
A glorious array of chairs in different colours and styles can work well if they are carefully chosen. In this relaxed but stylish dining area, a Wishbone chair sits as part of a mismatched set of dining chairs that also includes two Hay J77 chairs (designed by Folke Pålsson) and a French antique flea market find. A vintage bench behind adds to the playfully mismatched combination.
Always make sure that the height of your chair seats is consistent, even if nothing else is. This is much more pleasing to the eye, but even more importantly, it means that everyone around the table will be sitting at the same height!
Make a statement
A single chair can be used to great effect as a feature piece. In this strikingly bare, contemporary room, a Wishbone chair on one side of the room balances out a built-in bookshelf on the other side. With the natural wood of the chair matching the rich colour and grain of the wood panelling, less is definitely more.
A single chair can be used to great effect as a feature piece. In this strikingly bare, contemporary room, a Wishbone chair on one side of the room balances out a built-in bookshelf on the other side. With the natural wood of the chair matching the rich colour and grain of the wood panelling, less is definitely more.
Mix and match
Want to give a stylish yet informal feel to an eating area? Keep the same chair design throughout, but mix things up with variations of colour.
Maintain a level of consistency to keep the look coherent and aesthetically pleasing. Here, the relatively simple palette of colours – clean white and shades of wood ranging from pale to dark – is echoed in the choice of ornaments on the table.
Want to give a stylish yet informal feel to an eating area? Keep the same chair design throughout, but mix things up with variations of colour.
Maintain a level of consistency to keep the look coherent and aesthetically pleasing. Here, the relatively simple palette of colours – clean white and shades of wood ranging from pale to dark – is echoed in the choice of ornaments on the table.
Go 21st century
Just because the Wishbone chair is midcentury doesn’t mean your style has to be. The reason why this chair has become a cult classic is because of its versatility. So shake it up! Blending blacks with Ibiza-inspired neons and irreverent art gives this seating area a thoroughly contemporary ambience that marries beautifully with the strong, clean lines of the Wishbone chair.
Just because the Wishbone chair is midcentury doesn’t mean your style has to be. The reason why this chair has become a cult classic is because of its versatility. So shake it up! Blending blacks with Ibiza-inspired neons and irreverent art gives this seating area a thoroughly contemporary ambience that marries beautifully with the strong, clean lines of the Wishbone chair.
Dine in style
A matching set of Wishbone chairs in beautiful walnut sets off this long dining table. Lit by the airy bubbles of the cluster of clear glass pendant lights above, this is grown-up dining at its best.
See 10 ways to dazzle with cluster lights
A matching set of Wishbone chairs in beautiful walnut sets off this long dining table. Lit by the airy bubbles of the cluster of clear glass pendant lights above, this is grown-up dining at its best.
See 10 ways to dazzle with cluster lights
Use one as a desk chair
Why waste space on a boring office chair when you could use a Danish design classic instead? The clean white of this table, chair and lamp combination offers a calm haven in which to think and write.
For added comfort with no loss of style, you could easily accessorise this with a white sheepskin thrown over the seat of the chair.
Why waste space on a boring office chair when you could use a Danish design classic instead? The clean white of this table, chair and lamp combination offers a calm haven in which to think and write.
For added comfort with no loss of style, you could easily accessorise this with a white sheepskin thrown over the seat of the chair.
Use striking colours
The burnt orange of these lacquered Wishbone chairs harks back to the inspiration for the original design: a series of portraits of Dutch merchants seated on Ming chairs. The combination of the bright orange-red with a dark wood is bold and eye-catching, especially with the warm glow of brass emanating from within the black pendant lights hanging above the table.
Check out modern centrepieces to bring your dining table into focus
The burnt orange of these lacquered Wishbone chairs harks back to the inspiration for the original design: a series of portraits of Dutch merchants seated on Ming chairs. The combination of the bright orange-red with a dark wood is bold and eye-catching, especially with the warm glow of brass emanating from within the black pendant lights hanging above the table.
Check out modern centrepieces to bring your dining table into focus
Contrast curves and lines
The strong lines of the Wishbone chair are particularly striking in contrast with the straight lines of the rest of the architecture and furniture in this eco-home in Japan, bringing an organic feel to the clean aesthetic.
The strong lines of the Wishbone chair are particularly striking in contrast with the straight lines of the rest of the architecture and furniture in this eco-home in Japan, bringing an organic feel to the clean aesthetic.
Get a midcentury look
Give a nod to the era when the Wishbone chair was first designed by mixing it with other midcentury pieces, such as Hans J Wegner’s Wing chair and the Bertoia bar stools in this open-plan kitchen-diner. Paired with a floor of thick oak planks, these iconic pieces of furniture are timelessly modern even sixty-odd years later.
TELL US…
Are you a fan of the Wishbone chair? Have you incorporated one – or many – into your home? Share your thoughts and photos in the Comments below.
Give a nod to the era when the Wishbone chair was first designed by mixing it with other midcentury pieces, such as Hans J Wegner’s Wing chair and the Bertoia bar stools in this open-plan kitchen-diner. Paired with a floor of thick oak planks, these iconic pieces of furniture are timelessly modern even sixty-odd years later.
TELL US…
Are you a fan of the Wishbone chair? Have you incorporated one – or many – into your home? Share your thoughts and photos in the Comments below.
The simplicity of the natural wood in this space is reminiscent of an Arts & Crafts aesthetic – especially with the thick oak beams. The light wood of the chairs matches that of the table, bench and beams above, giving the room a timeless elegance.