Pair of PK 22 lounge chairs, Poul Kjaerholm for Fritz Hansen.

Pair of lounge chairs designed by Poul Kjaerholm, model PK 22, Fritz Hansen 2018 edition in woven wicker and brushed steel.

• H 70 CM x W 62 CM x D 65 CM.
• Seat height 36 CM.
• A small scuff mark on the wicker of one of the chairs at the seat edge, without impact on solidity. (see photo).
• A small loss on the right part of the seat of one of the chairs (see photo)

Pair of PK22 lounge chairs – Poul Kjærholm for Fritz Hansen

Designed in 1956 by Poul Kjærholm, the PK22 lounge chair is one of the most representative pieces of postwar Danish design. While Scandinavian furniture of the 1950s remains largely associated with teak, rosewood, and traditional cabinetmaking techniques, Kjærholm chose to treat steel as a noble material in its own right. The PK22 expresses this approach with remarkable economy of means: a structure reduced to the essential, low proportions, and an extremely light silhouette.

A structure reduced to the essential, low proportions, and an extremely light silhouette.

The construction constitutes an essential part of the design. Each side of the chair is formed from a folded steel band that serves as both legs and seat support. Two slightly curved crossbars connect the sides and follow the form of the seat without weighing down the structure. The seat and backrest follow gentle curves intended to receive the body, without padding or superfluous volume. This constructive legibility naturally connects the PK22 to modernist furniture, where structure, material, and function themselves become the ornament.

In this version, the steel contrasts with a seat and backrest in natural woven wicker. The opposition between the almost industrial precision of the metal and the irregular texture of the weaving brings to the chair a warmer presence, characteristic of some of the finest Danish edition chairs and seating. The design nevertheless remains extremely spare: no element seems able to be added or removed without altering the overall balance of the seat.

Created in the heart of the 1950s, the PK22 continued in production through the 1960s and 1970s under the editorship of Ejvind Kold Christensen. After the death of Poul Kjærholm, Fritz Hansen took over production of the collection and continues to edit the model. This continuity explains how a chair designed in 1956 can exist in much more recent editions while preserving its original construction and proportions practically intact.

In the history of the design lounge chair and the vintage lounge chair of the twentieth century, the PK22 occupies a particular place through its capacity to combine minimalism, comfort, and engineering. Visually lighter than many modernist metal lounge chairs of the same period, it maintains a very discreet relationship with space and integrates as naturally into a contemporary interior as among furniture from the 1950s or 1960s.

The pair presented here is a 2018 Fritz Hansen edition, faithful to the original design created by Poul Kjærholm in 1956.