Hvidt & Mølgaard

Peter Hvidt (1916-1986) was trained as an architect and cabinetmaker at the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen. Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen (1907-1993) was trained as a furniture and interior designer at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Together, the two designers created Hvidt & Mølgaard, a design firm specializing in furniture design, interior design and architecture. In 1950, they designed their most iconic piece, the AX Chair. It was the first Danish chair with a double curved laminated wood seat and back. The chair was produced by Fritz Hansen, and it was inspired by the manufacturing techniques used for tennis rackets. The AX Chair is a prime example of the Hvidt & Mølgaard firm’s specialization in efficiency. Their goal was to design furniture that could be easily mass-produced and economically shipped. Together, Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen designed over 256 furniture pieces before they retired in 1975.