Grete Jalk

Grete Jalk was bold and experimental with new and innovative ways of using materials and forms. Her honesty and genuine interest in quality and experimental design has made her a Danish design icon. She designed several chairs that used new production methods, and she led the way for a new era of Danish design.

Grete Jalk (1920–2006) was a Danish designer who made her mark on the design scene in the 1950s and 60s. She pursued an impressive list of academic qualifications, starting with the law and philosophy studies in which she chose to abandon halfway through.

Instead, she commenced her design career in 1939 at the Drawing and Applied school for Women, followed by an apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker where she graduated in 1946. Her studies included instructions from Kaare Klint and supervision from Karen Margrethe Conradsen. Jalk taught design from 1950 to 1960, and opened her own design studio in 1954.