Vintage Armchair No. 163 by Hans Olsen for Bramin, 1950s

Industrial designer and architect Hans Olsen was born in Denmark in 1919. He began his career as a cabinetmaker, but, at the age of thirty, he decided to attend the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art (Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi), where he studied architecture under esteemed architect-designer Kaare Klint (1888-1954) from 1941 to 1943. Under Klint’s instruction, Olsen focused on principles of ergonomics and anthropometry (the study of human body measurements), while cultivating his expertise in materials and traditional craftsmanship.

While many his Danish contemporaries—such as Arne Jacobsen, Poul Kjærholm, Børge Mogensen, and Hans Wegner—embraced the “Klint School” of modernism, Olsen was particularly eager to experiment with design and material choices in effort to achieve maximum comfort. Olsen had an affinity for bent laminated wood, which engendered designs with a great freedom of form, both sturdy and lightweight

In 1953, Olsen opened his own studio and began actively presenting his furniture at the annual Cabinetmakers Guild exhibitions in Copenhagen. This exposure brought Olsen a great deal of work with Danish manufacturers, including Bramin Møbel, C/S Furniture, Frem Røjle, Juul Kristensen, N.A. Jørgensen, and Verner Birksholm.

Olsen’s first successful design was the Roundette Dining Set (1952) for Frem Røjle Møbelfabrik. The compact, teak and leather design was an achievement in form and function, as the chair backs seamlessly tuck under the tabletop. Other standout designs from Olsen include the Shell Chair (1955), Easy Chair (1955), Fried Egg Chair (1956), the modular TV-bench (1956), CS500 Series (1962), Model 532A Rocking Chair (1963), and the Bikini Chair (1968)—iconic for its futuristic silhouette. Olsen’s Frederik the 9th Chair (1964)—named after Danish King Frederik VII, who apparently preferred sitting backwards—won the A.I.D gold medal in 1965.

Olsen passed away in 1992. Though Olsen is lesser known than his Danish modern contemporaries, his prolific career and distinctive designs have attracted renewed interest in recent years. 

Originally known as N.A. Jørgensen, Danish furniture manufacturer Bramin was founded in Bramming, a region on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula. Throughout the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, the company produced seating, tables, and casegoods in a style representative of the Danish mid-century modern era.

From Bramin’s catalogues and advertisements, we can ascertain that N.A. Jørgensen launched the Bramin brand around 1957 or 1958. In the early 1960s, Bramin's ad campaigns promised "Deres garanti for kvalitet form og function" or “Quality, form, and function: guaranteed,” using strong, modern imagery. From then on, the more traditionally-oriented N.A. Jørgensens Møbelfabrik took a back seat. It was not until the mid-1960s, however, that the striking Bramin logo was created, with the rounded, lowercase central “a” standing out from the remaining block letters.

In its heydey, Bramin collaborated with many well respected Danish designers, such as Johannes Andersen, Hans Olsen, Kurt Østervig, and Frank Reenskaug. However, Bramin’s most successful relationship was undoubtedly with H.W Klein, a Norwegian-born designer who moved to Denmark in 1960 to work for the company. Klein's most notable design is the Ønskestolen (mid-1960s), a padded leather lounge chair on a five-star swivel base, but he was also known for wide range of living room suites, dining suites, and storage options. Other memorable Bramin pieces include the classic Rocking Chair No. 182 by Reenskaug (circa 1958) and the idiosyncratically asymmetrical Chair No. 168 by Olsen (circa 1956).

For decades, the region of Bramming was a major hub for the Danish furniture industry, boasting 20 factories at its peak. Particularly hard hit by the global recession in the early-1980s, many Bramming-based businesses closed, Bramin included. After the closure, Klein moved to San Francisco. Though much of Bramin's history has been lost over time, the company's prolific furniture output has found a vibrant place in today's vintage market.