Mogens Lassen

SIMPLICITY UNDERCORED BY INTELLIGENT DESIGN

The beauty and organic lines of this functional coffee table do justice to its complex origin of intricate study and foreign lands.

The elegant table easily collapses for storage with the release of a small brass sliding latch beneath the tabletop – a flexible design that exemplifies the functionalism inherent in classic furniture types.

For Mogens Lassen and his contemporaries, function was paramount. Their approach – strongly influenced by Kaare Klint – often began with the careful study and refinement of long-existing archetypes such as safari-style knockdown chairs, British Windsor and Chippendale chairs, and flexible, practical tables like the ML10097 Egyptian Table.

These clear, proven furniture types appealed to mid-century design and architecture visionaries, upholding their core belief that intelligent, purposeful design never goes out of style.

1901 – 1987

The work of architect Mogens Lassen was rooted in concepts of cubism and the International Style. Although Lassen’s primary focus was architecture – he designed houses, high-rises, sports complexes, and shop interiors – he also created important furniture and product designs whose relevance has endured into the 21st century.

After training as a bricklayer, Lassen attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts’ School of Architecture. Later he travelled to Paris, where he encountered the work and philosophy of Le Corbusier. Applying an experimental, Corbusier-like approach to his own work, Lassen designed homes with carefully considered exterior spaces and rooms arranged so as to maximize exposure to daylight. Like his architecture, Lassen’s furniture designs showcased his interest in diverse materials and his ability to express his ideas through both natural and man-made materials. His simple, wooden furniture, like the folding ML10097 Egyptian Table, has gone on to become furniture classics.

During his career, Lassen was the force behind a number of exhibitions whose style of presentation helped Danish Design and architecture win international recognition.

MOGENS LASSEN

The work of architect Mogens Lassen, one of the pioneers of functionalist design in Denmark, was deeply inspired and influenced by the pioneering French modernist Le Corbusier (1887 – 1965). Photo: Unknown/VISDA