Folke Pålsson’s spindle-back chair brings back memories for many people who have encountered this chair in summer houses all over Scandinavia. The chair sparks an immediate sense of recognition, but in HAY’s updated colour version J77 proves its contemporary currency and relevance in the 21st century.

The FDB furniture series is functional design at democratic prices, born of industrial development. FDB created a strong furniture concept in 1933, and under Børge Mogensen’s leadership as design director from 1942 the FDB furniture linked industrial production closely with architectural furniture design. In practical terms, the industrial approach eliminated the need for special components, as all the chairs had the same legs, just as the main emphasis was not on detailing, since the underlying ideology of making well-designed furniture accessible to the general population was the primary focus. FDB revolutionised the industry as a precursor of many of the design icons that Denmark is acknowledged for today around the world.

Kvist Møbler produced the FDB furniture then and still does today – only now with HAY as the standard-bearer for the democratic values.