A Danish Lovestory

When Carl Hansen &Søn invites us to Denmark, Brand Manager Gina and Content Creator Jeannette don’t need to be asked twice. We hopped on a plane to Hamburg, drove across the border—and before we knew it, we were right in the thick of things: two unforgettable days visiting Carl Hansen, together with brand agents Andreas and Harald. Here’s our report for everyone who couldn’t make it.

Our itinerary began with a flight to Hamburg and a roughly three-hour drive north through the Danish countryside to Hindsgavl. There, we were greeted by the beautiful Gut-und Schlosshotel Hindsgavl , nestled within a vast estate featuring free-roaming deer, salty sea air, its own castle garden, and superb cuisine that highlights regional products—a perfect, peaceful start to the trip before we got down to business the next day

This place is simply magical. The combination of open spaces, nature, and silence brings even the most stressed soul back to a state of zen—you can immediately sense why Carl Hansen chose this very spot to welcome his guests:

> This place symbolizes the tranquility, consistency, and connection to nature that the brand itself embodies.

Hindsgavl Slot has a beautiful garden—where the dahlias beam at us just as brightly as the Danish garden shed, painted in Yves Klein blue. A sea of colors, as inspiring and refreshing as the sea breeze that greets us.

Your taste buds won't be left out either—in the almost regal dining rooms, a fantastic menu is served that makes you feel like a queen. We enjoy the evening in wonderful company and can't stop raving about the food once it arrives from the kitchen.

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, we drove past the beautiful herds of deer at Hindsgavl Slot one last time and continued on to Gelsted on the island of Funen.

By the way, Funen (Fyn) is considered a very beautiful, diverse, and cozy island and is often referred to as Denmark’s “green garden” or “fairy-tale island”—after all, the famous writer Hans Christian Andersen was born here. Unfortunately, the weather on Funen wasn’t quite cooperating that day, and the romantic atmosphere was a bit slow to materialize. Every now and then, there was even a sense of being in a lonely, somewhat desolate area.

Once we arrived in Gelsted, we headed straight to the Carl Hansen headquarters and factory—where a showroom tour and a guided tour of the production facilities with Louise awaited us.

The highlight right at the start was a spontaneous, personal meeting with owner Knud Erik Hansen and, later, with his son Morten, who—drawing on his background in textiles, including his time at Kvadrat—has played a key role in shaping the development of the upholstery division at Carl Hansen.

On the way to the showroom, we were also impressed by the somewhat lesser-known, but no less high-quality and sophisticated Carl Hansen lighting collection. I particularly like the Begonya lamp, and Gina is really making herself comfortable amid the sea of lights.

In the adjoining showroom, we see some new arrivals and classics that really inspire us.

It’s always a different experience to see these beautiful pieces in person—and especially in the right setting.

First and foremost is the new CH258 sleeper sofa, which dates back to the 1950s and will be relaunched very soon. But more on that soon—stay tuned @mooris_studio!

We’d already fallen in love with the office chair and the gorgeous office desk at 3daysofdesign.

The new Carl Hansen Studio! A collection made of eucalyptus wood, designed for the hospitality and contract sectors—produced in Carl Hansen’s second home, the hometown of Knud Erik Hansen’s children.

And, of course, the new CH24P Wishbone Chair with leather upholstery, which we also had the chance to admire while it was still in production.

Family and family history play an enormous role at Carl Hansen—you can sense that right away, despite the size of the company.

The culture is very family-oriented; people look out for one another, and employees are supported with fitness programs, healthy meals, and massages to help them cope with work that is often physically demanding.

This really impressed us and is clearly evident in the work environment.

Hans J. Wegner is the company’s founding father and the creator of nearly all its designs—the foundation upon which Carl Hansen continues to build to this day. Several manufacturers that once produced Wegner designs were acquired by the company in order to fully bring this legacy in-house.

Care, tradition, and durability are the central themes here.

There’s also plenty of girl power at Carl Hansen, as women have always played a very central role there: founder Ella Hansen, as well as the designs by Nanna Ditzel and Rikke Larsen, which are immensely important to the company.

We were particularly impressed by how Carl Hansen has perfected its production processes over the years—for example, in the bending of wood.

The combination of custom-designed machinery and traditional, constantly refined craftsmanship works absolutely perfectly.

This foresight enables the company to keep production at its location while delivering the highest quality.

A Wishbone Chair—the centerpiece of Carl Hansen—is now completed in three days. And a total of 100,000 Wishbone Chairs are produced each year.

And you can really feel that in Gelsted. Because the CH24 is everywhere—in oak finishes, in Ilse Crawford colors, and in every other variation.

At the factory itself, wood, nature, and circularity take center stage: A great deal of sawdust is produced—shavings and scraps are collected, compressed into pellets, and recycled.

Since wood is a unique natural product, finding the right combination of wood pieces for each item is particularly important.

The most important woods at Carl Hansen are oak (very dense and high-quality) and beech—slightly more affordable, but in high demand, especially among younger customers, as Louise explains to us.

At the very end, we were also allowed to take a look inside the “wood archive,” where truly valuable and historically significant woods like Rio rosewood are stored—though they are no longer permitted to be used.

A statement that just has to be said:

Neither of us has ever seen so many chairs in one place.

In our opinion, the most comfortable chair is the CH26, and the most complicated to produce—with the exception of the upholstered chairs—is the Elbow Chair CH20.

Speaking of upholstered chairs, the upholstery workshop was also well worth a visit. It’s only there that you realize just how much work, expertise, and craftsmanship goes into an armchair, sofa, or chair—and to me, the sometimes high prices are now more than just fully justified.

I’m convinced that a lot more is going to happen here, because upholstered furniture is all the rage right now… By the way, I’m currently dreaming of a Wishbone Chair with striped upholstery....

We were particularly impressed by the art of wickerwork practiced by the employees, many of whom have been with the company for many years.

In the weaving hall, under the watchful gaze of Knud’s likeness, there are not only many chairs but also a few tall tables where the employees, with great skill and physical effort, craft the seats and backs of the Wishbone Chair and many other models.

In addition to weaving with the well-known, beautiful, and extremely durable Papercord, visitors can also marvel at the art of jonc weaving with its honeycomb-like structure.

We got to “roll up our sleeves” and try our hand at weaving. The result? I’m not hired ;-) of course.

What did we learn? It takes an enormous amount of strength and precision to weave the seat.

And whether it ends up looking aesthetically perfect is a whole other story.