Børge Mogensen was born in 1914 in Aalborg, Denmark. He began his furniture crafting career in 1934 and became a leading figure in modern Danish furniture design alongside Arne Jacobsen and Hans Wegner.
His studies began at the Danish School of Arts and Crafts, 1936-38, where he studied furniture design. After that, he explored architecture at the Royal Academy of Arts from 1938 to 1942.
At these institutions, he worked closely with his instructor, Kaare Klint, who recommended his appointment in 1942 as the FDB’s (Denmark Cooperative Federation) first-ever furniture design manager. At Klint’s request, he was able to source “cheap and good quality furniture for the general public.” 1947 saw him produce the “J39” chair, arguably the masterpiece of his career.
Before that, though, he co-exhibited with Wegner in 1945 at the Copenhagen Furniture Craftsman Guild Exhibition. There, he announced his spokeback chairs, which 18 years down the road were commercialized by Fritz Hansen and now by Fredericia.
Mogensen left the FDB in 1950. From 1954 to 1967, he worked in lifestyle research, investigating the amount, sizing, and types of clothes and other miscellaneous goods that were owned by the public. With this data, he developed his “Øresund” series, aiming to optimize for storage. He continued producing new designs and products until he unfortunately passed away at the young age of 58.
