A MANOR WITH A TREASURE

If there were a furniture heaven, this could well be it. Located in the middle of Funen, Hellerup Manor dates back to the 17th century. The current owners, Inger and Knud Erik Hansen head one of Denmark’s most distinguished design companies, Carl Hansen & Søn – a true growth adventure. This legacy is on full display as you saunter around the manor’s almost 40 rooms, encountering one classic after another.

For centuries, the rich Funen soil has helped the region flourish – and with it the numerous castles and manors that still dominate this island lying at the heart of the Danish kingdom and the birthplace of its most renowned writer, H. C. Andersen. On this winter day, Inger and Knud Erik Hansen and their German shepherd, Paulie, welcome me inside their almost 1,600-m2 manor, which they bought in order to be close to their company Carl Hansen & Søn – regarded as a world leader in quality furniture. The couple recently completed the ownership transition of Carl Hansen & Søn, so theoretically the 64-year-old former chief physician and the 70-year-old furniture executive could step back and enjoy a well-deserved retirement, but they have other plans in mind.

– We’re both drawn to change and growth. We love seeing things evolve. Innovation and development are what drive us, what gets us out of bed in the morning, says Knud Erik Hansen. His wife adds: – Indeed, we sometimes go to bed at 8 pm, utterly exhausted, but then we get up early full of new energy. Inger Marie Jensen Hansen is a doctor of medical science with a PHD and used to be a chief physician at Sygehus Fyn. However, a period of illness some years ago sent her on another course, so today she has successfully spearheaded the establishment of Carl Hansen & Søn’s flagship stores around the world, from Tokyo to the most recent one in Hamburg. Her husband, Knud Erik Hansen, took his place as CEO of Carl Hansen & Søn in 2002, and since then the family-owned furniture business has been going only one way: forward. Acquisition of carpenter businesses, multiple expansions of the factory, opening of flagship stores worldwide, a host of new employees and consistent annual growth in performance figures. An important new page was turned in the Danish furniture business on 1 January 2021 when the fourth generation of family, their son Morten Hai van Bui Hansen, became the majority shareholder. However, Inger and Knud Erik Hansen will continue to run daily operations and serve as minority shareholders.

Hellerup Manor dates back to the Middle Ages. The first known owner of the farm was Niels Jensen Bild, who owned a building here around 1400, and part of the church, which is right next to the manor, can still be dated back to this period. In 1670, Johan Christoph von Körbitz built what is now the northern wing, and the house has been renovated and extended several times over since then. In 1770, the original building tower was removed to make room for an indoor staircase, thus giving the manor its classicist appearance. Today, Hellerup Manor provides the backdrop for an active life, but also a unique setting for the wealth of furniture the company has produced over the years. Hans J. Wegner

furniture of every shape and size can be seen, as well as classic designs by Ole Wanscher, Kaare Klint, Mogens Lassen, Poul Kjaerholm and Frits Henningsen – furniture that all tells a story, sometimes from three generations back. Knud Erik Hansen is a marvellous storyteller, recounting how, for example, Frits Henningsen unfortunately stipulated that all his drawings should be burnt on his death, so getting his furniture back into production required a fair bit of archaeological work. At one point, Knud Erik Hansen got in contact with a Swedish poultry farmer who had a rare edition of a Henningsen armchair. Found in the henhouse, the chair bore the clear signs of its sojourn with the birds. Unluckily for Knud Erik Hansen, the farmer was well aware of the chair’s rarity and thus exorbitant value – several hundred thousand Danish kroner in fact – so it turned out to be an expensive deal, indeed. When the bargain was struck, the chair was immediately taken to the factory and completely disassembled to allow Carl Hansen & Søn to produce furniture truly faithful to the original.

Hellerup Manor has almost 40 rooms – ranging from multiple living rooms to guest rooms. The 18th-century living rooms have varying colour schemes, with English red, green and ochre walls affording a cosy backdrop for the seating areas, reading nooks and dining furniture. The multifarious pieces of classic furniture sold worldwide are accompanied here by several prototypes, many developed in close collaboration between Knud Erik Hansen’s father, Holger Hansen, and furniture architect Hans J. Wegner. Some of the furniture has even been discontinued, while other pieces have been in the family for generations. Antiques, art and curios that Knud Erik Hansen has brought home from his extended working assignments abroad – including ten years in Singapore and Hongkong and a long period in South Africa – lend a personal touch to the home.

The top floor is true heaven for any furniture aficionado. The almost 500 m2 are divided into seating areas with carpets underneath to prevent the space from feeling overwhelming. The ambience is generally warm and cosy. When having this floor with its slanting walls and high-beamed ceiling renovated in 2013, they opted to create a large common room with exposed beams of Pomeranian fir, which engenders a rustic and original atmosphere. Knud Erik Hansen points to the woodwork:

– Look how the axes have hewn the beams, he says. Ever since growing up at the factory in the 1950s, he has been attracted by things that are handmade and exhibit genuine craftmanship. This is the exact feeling Hellerup Manor evokes.

“We’re both drawn to change and growth. We love seeing things evolve. Innovation and development are what drive us and get us out of bed in the morning.”

A WHITE GEM ON FUNEN, Hellerup Manor has a long history. The current building dates back to 1670, when the northern wing was built. The manor house is named after the small village that surrounded the property until around the year 1500. The village has since disappeared, with the charming, old Hellerup Church its only remaining building. The church, a typical manor chapel, was built around 1200, and the entire Romanesque structure from that era has been preserved.

EXCLUSIVE GAME TABLE In the green living room stands a bridge and chess table made of European cherry, which is golden and never changes colour, unlike American cherry, which becomes darker with time. The table was originally produced by Tranekaer Furniture, which Carl Hansen & Søn acquired in 2003, along with the table as part of the deal. The game table is accompanied by two CH24 chairs, also in European cherry. DESIGN LOVERS Inger and Knud Erik Hansen live for good design – here together with their family – and their guard dog Paulie.

IN THE YELLOW DINING ROOM stands the cross-legged table made of teak and designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1950. On the table stand two wood bowls designed by Finn Juhl, and on the floor two rustic glass vases made of recycled glass and available at all Carl Hansen & Søn’s flagship stores. THE FUNCTIONAL CH339 dining table was designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1962. This version includes an extra leaf so ten people can easily sit around the table. The CH24 chair – also called the Y chair – is the first model Hans J. Wegner designed exclusively for Carl Hansen & Søn in 1949. The chair has been in production since 1950. AN ICON MADE OF ELM. In the window opening stands the Faaborg chair designed by Kaare Klint for Faaborg Museum in 1914. In 2014, Carl Hansen & Søn celebrated the 100th anniversary of the iconic chair by making a limited edition of elm.

IN THE LIBRARY with the distinctive ochre colour stands a Kaare Klint sofa set together with an oak coffee table designed by Hans J. Wegner. Neither the coffee table nor the two sofas are in production today, but both sofas are a version of the KK41181 sofa Kaare Klint designed for Prime Minister Thorvald Stauning’s office in 1930. This sofa is still in production. THE MAJESTIC grey door is in the good company of the Coupé sofa designed by Frits Henningsen in 1936. After some years out of production, the exclusive sofa was reintroduced by Carl Hansen & Søn in 2019. IN FRONT OF THE OLD Swedish fireplace stand four CH25, which Hans J. Wegner designed exclusively for Carl Hansen & Søn in 1949. The four lounge chairs surround a prototype table from Nissen & Gehl. To the left stands a Korean medicine cabinet that Knud Erik Hansen brought home after his many years in Asia. The cabinet to the right is designed by Knud Erik Hansen himself and made by a carpenter in Hongkong. On top of it stands a mini model of the company’s golden calf: The Y chair.

IN THE BEAUTIFUL, SLANTING corridor stands a row of Hans J. Wegner’s prototypes. On the cabinet are two terracotta vases that can be bought in all Carl Hansen & Søn’s flagship stores. The ship’s bell brought home by his father has followed Knud Erik Hansen since his childhood. It once hung in their summerhouse on Southern Funen, and when his mother, Ella Hansen, rang the bell, Knud Erik Hansen and his brother knew it was time to come home for dinner. YOU ARE STUPID This beautiful Frits Henningsen set is from Knud Erik Hansen’s childhood home, as evinced by the two brothers’ writing under the tabletop: You are stupid. And: So are you... On the table stands a ceramic vase sold by Carl Hansen & Søn.

IN THE STAIRWAY are two CH07 shell chairs designed in 1963. They are upholstered in silk from Jim Thompson. The lounge chair had a design ahead of its time and therefore had to wait patiently to gain the spotlight. However, it is now considered one of Hans J. Wegner’s most groundbreaking designs. Between the two lounge chairs is Hans J. Wegner’s tray table CH417. On the small shelf stand some of Hans J. Wegner’s miniature chairs made by a Japanese worker. THE PRINCESS TABLE is from Rud. Rasmussen and was designed for King Frederik IX, who commissioned it as a gift to each of his three princesses on their 18th birthdays. It is made of European cherry, which is golden and does not darken over time. To the left of the bureau, stands Hans J. Wegner’s CH22 prototype from 1949, and to the right the Flagline chair, designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1950.

SHELL CHAIR IN FULL BLOOM In 2013 a teak with goatskin edition of Wegner’s shell chair was made in honour of its 50th anniversary. Above it hangs the Enigma lamp by Shoichi Uchiyama for Louis Poulsen. AGAINST THE CHIMNEY stands a beautiful Børge Mogensen mahogany China cabinet, produced by Søborg Møbler. When Carl Hansen & Søn acquired the company, this fine cabinet was included in the deal. In the foreground stands Knud Erik Hansen’s desk, which is from Rud. Rasmussen. 185

UP IN THE newly renovated attic stands a one-of-a-kind grand piano by Andreas Christensen. It was bought by Knud Erik Hansen’s father, Holger Hansen, in 1949 at the Fredericia fair – and Knud Erik Hansen might play a tune if the mood is right. Next to it is Tadao Ando’s armchair, which he designed to celebrate Wegner’s aesthetics. HELLERUP MANOR has many guest rooms – here one at the top of the house, with a view of the church and an embroidered bedspread and pillows on the bed. In front of the bed stands the OW150 daybed designed by Ole Wanscher in 1963. It is made of a simple leather cushion that almost floats above the solid oak frame.

SOME YEARS AGO, the couple renovated the lower floor, in which connection they installed a new kitchen – a Bulthaup B3 kitchen made of solid oak. The SH900 dining table was designed by Strand + Hvass in 2007 and is still made by Carl Hansen & Søn. The table is surrounded by Hans J. Wegner’s CH29P sawbuck chairs, which he designed in 1952. He found inspiration for the chairs in the carpenter’s sawbucks. Above the dining table hangs a lamp designed by Hans J. Wegner.