Villhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter and Carl Hansen & Søn continue their collaboration and now launch the Monarch chair VLA61. Lauritzen's majestic chair from 1944 was originally only produced in ten copies, but will now be available to a wider audience for the first time.

In 1944, Vilhelm Lauritzen designed the Monarch chair (VLA61) for an office building for the Danish Sulfuric Acid and Superphosphate factory. However, the building was never built, but the chair was produced in ten copies as one of 71 designs. It shows records, hand drawings and a few pictures. Until now, this rare chair has been a sought-after collector's item at auctions worldwide, but with the launch of Carl Hansen & Søn, it is now available to a wider audience for the first time.

"The Monarch Chair is exceptionally beautiful and has Vilhelm Lauritzen's clear signature. He was concerned with the aesthetic functionality and his great love for nature is clearly shown in the chair's organic forms. The double-curved armrest and the beautiful organic frame give the chair a clear expression with such high comfort that it embraces you when you sit down. It is timeless in many ways and combines the design tradition from the past with the way we develop today," says Anne Møller Sørensen, partner in Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter.

A tribute to the butterflies

The Monarch chair (VLA61) is named after the majestic Monarch butterfly, and the name is a tribute to Vilhelm Lauritzen's great interest in butterflies, which he diligently studied all his life. With its generous padding, curved armrests and the organic, drop-shaped curves of the slats, the chair presents an artistic expression that is light and sumptuous at the same time. Details, such as the small brass feet and hand-polished joints, bear witness to Lauritzen's accomplished line.

It has been a complicated and time-consuming task for the experienced cabinetmakers at Carl Hansen & Søn to manufacture the VLA61 Monarch Chair, as many of the chair's parts are double curved and curved. In addition, all parts are polished by hand before they are assembled, after which the entire chair - especially around the joints - is hand polished once more to achieve a perfect finish. The backrest is only upholstered after it has been mounted on the chair in order to achieve precise finishes around the armrests and back legs, which requires the greatest care.

"With the Monarch Chair, we get another masterpiece by Vilhelm Lauritzen in Carl Hansen & Søn's extensive collection of iconic design. Last year we launched the Vega chair and the Foyer series in collaboration with Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter in connection with the design studio's 100th anniversary, and the furniture has been well received worldwide. We are happy and proud to be allowed to spread knowledge of Danish design throughout the world and now also to present Vilhelm Lauritzen's furniture design widely to a global audience in line with Lauritzen's democratic approach to design," says Knud Erik Hansen, director and third generational owner of Carl Hansen & Søn.

Vilhelm Lauritzen (1894-1984) is known as one of Denmark's renowned architects, and his buildings, such as Radiohuset, VEGA, and Copenhagen Airport, stand today as cultural witnesses to his pioneering approach to functionalism. He was characterized by being the master of detail and created all interiors for his projects with the utmost perfectionism – from chairs, tables, chandeliers, to fixtures, door handles and sockets.

The Monarch chair can be purchased from October 2023.

Read more at Carl Hansen & Søn.