The Chieftain chair was designed by Finn Juhl in 1949 during the peak of his furniture design career. Coming from a modern take on the colonial chair, the Chieftain draws its inspiration from art, customs, and weaponry from foreign shores. The chair is perceived as one of the most important factors of the Danish design movement in America during the 1950’s. It was originally produced in Denmark by Niels Vodder and Niels Roth Anderson. The single licensed US manufacturer was Baker Furniture, who produced Chieftain Chairs in the 1950’s, and then also did a re-issue of the chair in the 1990’s. It is now made to order by the House of Finn Juhl, a design collective with exclusive rights to manufacture and produce 40 of Juhl’s classics.
The chair has a walnut and teak frame which is shaped to create a sculptural design to the chair. The seat, back and arm rests are covered in a high quality leather and are all separated from the frame which is what gives this chair its distinctive appearance. These chairs are not produced in large numbers due to the high level skill and the amount of labour that one chair takes to make, so finding an original Chieftain chair is quite a difficult task.
In every chair Finn Juhl designed, he showed true elegance and craftsmanship. Most of his designs had more emphasis on form and less on function. The Chieftain chair distinguished itself from traditional Danish design in its Minimalist aesthetics, functional construction, and materials. The chair has a pompous and bold appearance which would impact any living space and is a truly iconic chair of the Danish movement.
As previously mentioned, finding an original Chieftain chair is a difficult task, and can prove to be very expensive. Due to the Danish modern movement, it is more likely that you will be able to find an original in the US or Denmark, although in October, 2017, Christie’s auction in London sold an original Niels Vodder. As the chair was an original example, it fetched a huge £100,000. Certain companies, such as Finn Juhl’s house and The Conran Shop, now have the rights to sell copies of the originals and you can expect to pay anywhere between £12000-£15000 depending on the construction that you choose.
Although this chair fetches a high price, due to the superior craftsmanship it boasts, it brings an unparalleled impact and individuality, no matter which setting it is used in.
