The Line of Beauty

  • Photography Ville Varumo

A linear look at the PK4 lounge chair, in partnership with Fritz Hansen.

  • Photography Ville Varumo

All designs, whether for an entire home or a single piece of furniture, start as a line on the page. It takes a feat of engineering to transport them into the material realm. 

The late Poul Kjærholm was a master of the exercise: The design of his PK4 lounge chair, made from seven pieces of tubular steel and one length of halyard, encapsulates the Danish designer’s uncanny ability to distill technically complex ideas into one seemingly simple, visually arresting object. 

In collaboration with Fritz Hansen, which has recently relaunched the PK4 in both satin-brushed and black powder-coated stainless steel, Kinfolk’s creative team traces how the lines of Kjærholm’s design create a functional piece of furniture that is equal parts architecture and art.

This story was produced in partnership with Fritz Hansen.

The PK4 was designed in 1952, and never went into production during Kjærholm’s short lifetime. As of mid-April, the design will be relaunched and on display in Fritz Hansen showrooms around the world.

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