Carl Hansen’s craftsman-in-residence at our Upper Street shop
twentytwentyone was lucky enough to host Benny as craftsman-in-residence at our Upper Street shop last Saturday morning when he offered customers and passersby a unique insight into the intricate art of paper cord weaving.
Benny visited us last year for a similar demonstration, working on the envelope-woven seat of the CH22 chair.
This year he was weaving the paper cord seat of the CH23 dining chair.
This is one of the very first designs that Hans Wegner produced for Carl Hansen, created at the same time as the iconic CH24 Wishbone chair.
Although it has been out of production for five decades, the CH23 has now been relaunched by Carl Hansen, ensuring that all four of Wegner’s initial designs for the company are now available to the public.
The double-woven seat of the CH23 chair requires 130 metres of paper cord and can take an experienced weaver over an hour to produce – although Benny can complete one in around 45 minutes.
In addition to observing a master at work, members of the public and shop staff were invited to take a turn…
… hopefully, inspiring the next generation of Carl Hansen master weavers?
Many thanks to Carl Hansen and Benny Larsen for a fascinating and highly informative event.