The Vega Chair - A Vilhelm Lauritzen Design For Modern Living

21 Jun

[AD - paid partnership with Carl Hansen & Søn]

For the past 67 years, a Danish design classic has been hiding in plain sight, familiar only to those who interact with it on a daily basis. I’m talking about the VLA26T Vega chair, designed in 1956 by Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen specifically for use inside Copenhagen’s Folket’s Hus. As a sign of good design, it quietly supported the day-to-day running of the building, brought out for various occasions and then stacked away until the next time…

The new Vega stacking chair in oak veneer with a black steel frame and wooden feet drenched in strong light in a white interior.

From People’s House to People’s Homes

Built in 1956, the Folket’s Hus (the people’s house) is now a listed, much-loved historic building that is part of the fabric of Copenhagen’s modern history. Created by Lauritzen as a meeting house for the labour movement, it has witnessed countless generations of gatherings, parties and occasions.

*The original Vega chair (left) juxtaposes the new.*

*Original Vilhelm Lauritzen lighting inside the VEGA concert hall.*

In 1994 the building was protected and relaunched in 1996 as the VEGA concert hall, now home to a mix of intimate and large-scale concert spaces. A functionalist masterpiece, every inch of this building, from the exquisite panelled walls and modernist chandeliers, to the door handles and chairs, were all designed by Lauritzen himself.

The back view of the black steel frame and back rest of new VLA26T Vega chair, designed by Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen.

The Vega Stacking Modern Chair

And it’s the Vega chair that’s being given a new chapter by Carl Hansen & Søn in collaboration with Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects. Used exclusively inside the concert hall since 1956, the VLA26T is now available for use in our homes.

Stylist Tiffany Grant-Riley shows how to stack two modern chairs designed in oak and black steel by Vilhelm Lauritzen.

It would be easy to overlook this chair for its simplistic qualities but it stands as a testament to Lauritzen’s legacy that the original designs are still in use today. Its light-weight, curved oak veneer shell and slender black steel legs give it an understated poise that makes it an ideal choice as a modern dining chair. The wooden feet are a touch that I can’t seem to take my eyes off. Often a forgotten detail when it comes to chair design, they seem to be a Lauritzen signature (just take a look at his Monarch chair).

Close-up details of the black steel legs of Carl Hansen & Søn's Vega chair with oak feet details.

It took the team two years to re-develop the Vega chair you see today. Headed up by Anne Møller Sørensen, slight adjustments were made to accommodate modern proportions, including the underside and leg angles to make it easier to stack. Parts are easy to replace should the need arise, too.

The Vega also comes in an upholstered variation with a seat and back pad. But for me, it’s all about the classic oak which shows off the beauty in the grain and plays off the light in my studio.