#HTE

Unsung Danish Modern Design: Furniture by Louis van Teeffelen

While most fans of Danish Modern or mid-century modern furniture are aware of Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen, the Eameses et. al., Louis van Teeffelen’s name may not ring a bell. Which is a shame as the Dutch designer created furniture every bit as striking as the work of his contemporaries.

Along with sometime collaborator Jaap Ravelli, van Teeffelen put Dutch furniture company WéBé on the map in the 1950s, becoming their head of design in 1955.

Van Teeffelen designed chairs, sideboards, desks, coffee tables, dining tables, storage units and more.

WéBé’s furniture became so popular throughout the 1950s and ‘60s that they amassed their own shipping fleet.

Shortly after van Teeffelen left the company in the late '60s, WéBé went into a decline from which it never recovered. Sales slumped through the '70s and '80s, and the company was shuttered for good in the '90s.

Today van Teeffelen’s pieces are sought after on the secondhand market.