Some designers leave one or two pieces as their design legacy. Borge Mogensen left hundreds. A pioneer of what we now know as Danish design, Mogensen was a creative talent who couldn’t stop creating.

Born in Aalborg, Mogensen spent several years making cabinets, before winning at place at the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts in the late 1930s. Like many world-renowned designers, he also trained as an architect, and learned about use of space and constructing beauty, before going on to create furniture.

During his architectural studies at the Copenhagen School of Arts and Crafts, Mogensen met the renowned Danish designer, Kaare Klint, who was to become his mentor. Klint is now thought of as the pioneer of modern Danish Design, and Mogensen adopted many of Klint’s revolutionary ideals.

Mogensen took a mathematical approach to design, and recorded and measured how living spaces and common domestic objects were used. He used these measurements to inform his designs, and ensure they were extraordinarily functional for modern living. He also subscribed to Klint’s groundbreaking theories about furniture proportions, and how sizes and proportions should be used as the basis for design.

One of Mogensen’s obsessions was to create storage systems that fitted perfectly in any home. He measured hundreds of common household objects, in order to determine how his designs could best fit around them, then created highly-functional storage that suited every home. The detailed set of measurements he made is still used today by storage designers.

Mogensen loved the idea of making great design affordable, and became head of furniture design for the Danish Cooperative Wholesale Society. He created designer, modernist furniture that could be mass-produced and enjoyed in the ordinary home.

For the mass-market, he created simple wooden chairs and tables that were durable and perfect for everyday use. The designs were simple, yet beautiful, and customers loved bringing modernist design into their homes at affordable prices. These ‘affordable’ pieces are now design classics.

Borge Mogensen was a designer who couldn’t stop designing. He created collection, after collection, always considering the needs of the modern home and the people using his furniture. If you want classic Danish style, look no further – recreations of Borge Mogensen pieces are right here at Iconic Interiors.