With its rounded, soft curves, and its comfortable texture, the Pelican Chair has earned a very distinguished place among design lovers. Nowadays. The Pelican Chair is considered today a collector piece for selected, large living rooms, but It wasn’t always like that. As it happens with many masterworks ahead of its time, it received mixed-to strongly negative reviews in its early days of release.

The Pelican Chair is a widely contoured accent chair supported by four slanted wood legs. Its continued shape and massive back and arms rest project a relaxed, comfortable feeling, in a very luxurious shape and materials. Though it looks somehow simple, its shape makes us feel beauty and elegance. Beyond the idea of functionality, the Pelican chair brings beauty and presence in every space, and that makes it a perfect sample of an accent chair.

A “tired walrus”?

With these words, was reviewed the Pelican Chair back in 1940, its date of release. By then, its creator Finn Juhl (born in 1912, in Norway)  had 28 years old. Another art critic referred to it as “aesthetics in the worst possible sense of the word”.

Nevertheless, is somehow comprehensible if the novel design by a young Juhl raised some waves at the moment. The revolution of modernism was just taking shape in Europe, by the hands of people like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Germany and Le Corbusier in Switzerland.

And when it comes to Norway and all Scandinavian countries, the main trends were in search for a renovation both in style and function; but the most remarkable leaders of this movement (people like Hans Wegner or Arne Jacobsen) were more fond of natural and traditional means of expression for this modern message, especially with the love for wood and old craftsman’s techniques, so we can say that Finn Juhl, on the other hand, was all an avant garde creator at the time.

Today, the Finn Juhl Pelican Chair is considered one of the most iconic pieces of furniture. Ideal for large, comfortable spaces. It features a hand-sewn upholstery with a number of synthetic or natural fabrics. Usually, its frame is made of pine.

 The Pelican Chair is unmistakenly an accent chair, and you must be aware of it, using it in large rooms where the Pelican Chair displays its wonderful volume, texture, and magnetism. This beautiful creation by Finn Juhl may cost a lot in an original presentation, but with Barcelona Designs, you have the opportunity of experience a wonderful piece of modern furniture, like a high-quality Pelican Chair KnockOff for the fraction of an original.

For inspo, info and great offers in furniture, don’t miss the opportunity in Barcelona Design, the alternative for Mid Century Modern style furniture, with masterpieces like the Barcelona Chair or the Hans Wegner Shell Chair.