Where to buy

Nanna Ditzel's Way of Shapes

On a crisp September morning in Copenhagen, we visited Dennie Ditzel, daughter of Nanna Ditzel - one of Danish design’s most iconic figures. In the family-run design studio, Dennie spoke to us on her mother's revolt against the established way of conceiving mid-century furniture.

With the Ditzel Lounge Chair, Nanna wanted to create a welcoming atmosphere for both the body and mind.

Dennie Ditzel

Challenging tradition

Nanna Ditzel was strikingly ambitious and forward-looking for her time. Highly occupied with our ways of sitting, she believed comfortable furniture paved the way for new ways of thinking and living.

“Nanna was convinced that our best thoughts come when being in a comfortable position.” explains Dennie Ditzel, Nanna’s eldest daughter, as she moves around the Copenhagen studio from where she now foresees her mother’s design legacy.

Ditzel’s beliefs influenced not only her work life but also her way of creating a family home in Bagsværd outside of Copenhagen. As Dennie delves into boxes of original sketches and drawings, she remembers one episode in particular; one day in 1965, Nanna Ditzel had an idea; she wanted to challenge the traditional way of sitting and interacting. The family’s typical living room arrangement was discarded. Instead, a lounge setting occupied every inch of the floor; foam cushions of varying heights channelling a casual and welcoming atmosphere. Ditzel’s so-called ‘Stairscapes’ were a result of her idiom, a life-long need to view design as not only functional but also sculptural.

The Ditzel Lounge Chair

Nanna Ditzel’s foresight embodied every piece of her design collection, making her pieces timeless and as relevant today as in the 1950ies.

The relaunch of the classic Lounge Chair combines Ditzel’s uncompromising study of comfortable sitting with her need for constant experimentation and evolvement; new materials transcend her design legacy into our time, making them everlasting and comfortable. Along with her other designs, the Ditzel Lounge Chair stands as Nanna Ditzel’s revolt against the traditional Danish functionalism characterized by an angular and modular design tradition.


Copyright © Fredericia Furniture 2023