While some early controversial Peter Karpf creations – such as the multi-spoked lounge chair and the string chair – were valuable experiments, other designs have endured.
His candlesticks, his monolithic molded plywood chairs, and his light fixtures have become modern Danish classics. Peter Karpf (born 1940) learned furniture design from Fritz Hansen and worked for Grete Jalk and Arne Jacobsen.
In 2002 Karpf was awarded the prestigious Bruno Mathson Prize – the most prestigious design award in Scandinavia. The jury’s comment was: “His strong sense of form in combination with a deep understanding of materials and manufacturing techniques make him one of the greatest contemporary Nordic designers.”
Today, Peter Karpf’s designs are represented at numerous museums worldwide including Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
To Karpf, design is a process of discarding experiments. Based on his belief that we live in an age of noise and stress, he designs furniture that brings us down to earth and helps us relax.
