Bodil Kjær

Through her vast travels, Danish professor and architect Bodil Kjær has gained deep insight into the relationship between design and architecture and contributed significantly to the spread of Danish Modern design principles – this was not, however, the main purpose of her travels. Kjær wanted to explore methods and materials that could be used to realize her ideas for functional furniture systems and work environments.

Kjær was born in 1932 and grew up on her family’s ancestral farm near Horsens, Denmark, where she learned to appreciate quality and aesthetics.

As a furniture designer, Kjær views furniture construction from a purely technical perspective, interplayed with modern architecture and created for people. She always considers context and has collaborated with different professions in her desire to optimize physical settings.

Her furniture systems support creative people in their work processes, and her designs include indoor and outdoor furniture, light fixtures, a service trolley and vases, all characterized by lightness and a functionalist expression.

Kjær’s reputation led to speaking invitations and teaching posts at architecture schools including Harvard University, the Pratt Institute and the Royal Academy of Architecture in Copenhagen.