Fritz Hansen: The UTZON stool by J?RN UTZON

S Y M P H O N Y O F I M A G I N AT I O N The Utzon stool is a playful, expressive design by the renowned Danish architect.

Fritz Hansen proudly presents the Utzon stool, a rare piece of furniture designed by J?rn Utzon that reflects the renowned Danish architect’s love of nature and exemplifies the sculptural approach and pure originality of its creator.

The oiled beech stool with brass details was developed on the basis of a prototype that Utzon made in the 1950s when he designed the Sydney Opera House. It is the only piece of his furniture that is currently in production.

In furniture design applied the same principles that characterised his architecture: a synthesis of different references and what he called additive architecture, i.e. multiple configurations with a limited number of prefabricated components. In the case of the stool, the modular principle can be seen in the repetitive shapes of the steam-bent legs.

Utzon often uses maritime references – the spheres of the seat are reminiscent of ship fenders and are an expression of his love of nature and its recurring forms.

The wooden spheres are reminiscent of wooden models that Utzon made for some of his projects. The most famous of these is the spherical solution for the sails of the roof of the Sydney Opera House. The protruding, mushroom-like shapes show Utzon’s playful side. The stool is a pragmatic, dynamic design and is well suited to contemporary living. It is light, flexible and robust enough for commercial use.

Launched in 2024, the stool marks the renewal of Fritz Hansen relationship with Utzon, which began in the 1960s with the Concert lamp. Its unmistakable individual character represents the spirit of one of the most important architects of the 20th century.

“We believe that Utzon deserves to be in the spotlight again, primarily because of his architecture his architecture, but also because of the way he applied his architectural principles to the design of furniture. His humanism and the way he thought about how people would use something still deserve attention today. We can learn a lot from Utzon, from his way of interpreting nature, his endeavour to explore the limits of what is possible and from his premise that dedication is the most important aspect.”

J?RN UTZON, 1918–2008

Creating things for people. This is the original theme of what is probably the most famous Danish architect of all time: J?rn Utzon. He was educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where he graduated in 1942. He then went on to develop his talent in studios such as the Alvar Aalto Studio in Helsinki. The inspiration he received there helped J?rn Utzon to gradually optimise his skills in creating organic architectural compositions while maintaining respect for people, nature and the environment.