Large mobile Scandinavian wenge planter

Large modernist Scandinavian planter in solid wenge, 1970s.

Folding structure resting on original casters signed KEVI Denmark. A simple gesture allows its rectangular silhouette to be modified to give it a trapezoidal shape and adapt its footprint to the available space.

• W 166 cm x D 41 cm x H 38 cm.
  Internal depth: 38 cm.

Robust construction and particularly smooth movement.

Note: a slight mark of use on one of the sides (small scratch visible in the photographs).

Mobility and the Scandinavian art of living

Resting on original casters signed KEVI Denmark, this large planter testifies to the importance given to ergonomics and mobility in Scandinavian furniture of the 1970s. The KEVI company is associated with the Danish architect and designer Jørgen Rasmussen (born 1931), notably known for having developed the famous Kevi seating collection as well as the double-wheel caster which earned him international recognition in the field of industrial design.

Although no attribution can be made with certainty, the presence of these casters, combined with the folding and mobile design of this planter, evokes the research carried out in Denmark around flexible furniture intended to adapt to the needs of daily life. This functional approach, particularly present in the layouts of Scandinavian individual houses of the time—a field to which Jørgen and Ib Rasmussen devoted a significant part of their architectural activity—constitutes one of the most enduring signatures of post-war Nordic design.

The KEVI Denmark-signed components and the use of wenge also evoke the world of Niels Erik Glasdam Jensen. We recently presented a fold-away serving trolley attributed to this designer, made in the same wood and sharing the same pursuit of mobility and modularity characteristic of Danish design from the 1970s.

The character of wenge

Wenge possesses the singular ability to immediately structure a space. A few pieces of furniture made in this wood species are enough to create a true visual anchor. Its contrasting grain and deep hue dialogue naturally with light woods, stone, metal, or concrete, which explains its lasting success with lovers of Scandinavian design and contemporary interiors.