My, my… what have we here? A fabulous Danish low cabinet? YES. A stunning Scandinavian Modern sideboard or media/console cabinet? YES. An incredible low bench or dresser? Also… YES!!! Talk about versatility overload!! This is a phenomenal low cabinet model #394 by Kai Kristiansen for Aksel Kjersgaard Odder. It is comprised of a gorgeous teak frame with stunning wood grain, straight square legs, and four drawers featuring 2 double recessed half-moon handles. The top drawers open from the bottom, and the bottom drawers open from the top! It’s a simple but oh-so-stunning detail. This is an INCREDIBLE cabinet and it’s bursting with versatility, impeccable style, and ample storage. It could be used as a wonderful low dresser for lingerie or other delicate items in a bedroom, a fantastic sideboard, credenza, console, or media cabinet in a living or dining area. Maybe a marvelous low bench cabinet in a hall or entry, or in any room that needs a touch of quintessential Scandinavian Modern flair. It’s EXACTLY what the designer ordered!
Kai Kristiansen was born in 1929 in Denmark. His approach to design was, and still is colored by his outlook on life with his constant search of “getting as much as possible out of as little as possible.” A phrase he uses to this day is “Economy, ecology, and common sense.” He was taught and trained as a cabinetmaker by a Danish design role model Kaare Klint. He knew that early in his career how to create furniture with functionality and refined details while keeping the production methods and costs in mind. He designed his first table in 1951 and one of his most famous chairs was sold through IKEA. That chair is still in production today and manufactured by Miyazaki Chair Factory in Japan. He is also known for his other designs of home furnishings including tables, cabinets, shelving systems, desks, and beds. At 93 years old Kai Kristiansen has had over a seventy-year long career.
Aksel Kjersgaard is both a designer and a manufacturer. He created and produced exquisite Danish furniture during the peak of the Danish mid-century modern movement. In 1952 after traveling through Morocco and Europe, Kjersgaard returned to Denmark and began his production company and in 1955 he began producing sideboards, dressers, consoles, and cabinets in high quality exotic woods with gorgeous grains including rosewood and teak. During the first part of the 50’s and into the 60’s he collaborated with Danish designer Kai Kristiansen. Although there are few production dates or model names on those pieces, Kjersgaard’s works are numbered or stamped for identification. Many are stamped “Odder” which is an indication of a provenance and not production. (According to International Design Center, and despite many incorrect attributions.) Aksel Kjersgaard continues to produce furniture today under the name Naver Collection, and the company is run by his son.
This Model #394 low cabinet by Kai Kristiansen for Aksel Kjersgaard Odder and Vintage IKEA is a marvelous piece of Danish Modern furnishings too wonderful to let go. So, whether you call it a low cabinet, sideboard, media cabinet, credenza, or a low bench… You simply NEED to call it YOURS!!!
