Danish modern furniture came into being in the 1950’s, originating in work by Danish and other Scandinavian designers. Characterized by the clean, minimalist, sculptural yet functional quality and use of beautiful woods, glass and Plexiglas and natural materials, the designs gained great popularity with people recovering from World War II and desiring a fresh look in household furnishings.
The Danish modern coffee table is a popular item within this contemporary style of furniture. These coffee tables are sleek and sturdy, with straight legs and uncluttered design. The spotlight is on the grain and color of the woods that are used. Most often these are warm-toned woods, such as teak or maple, which project a welcoming aura.
However, woods such as rosewood, oak and walnut are also used. Although the use of a single kind of wood in the tabletop is the usual case, in some instances beautiful parquetry or wood-joining details are showcased in the top.
A wide variety of styles are available. The most common is the simple single-topped coffee table. Designers also produced Danish modern coffee tables with a rack underneath the table top to hold magazines, books, remote controls, and any other coffee table paraphernalia. The rack could be made of solid wood matching the table top or be of wood slats or of caning. Legs on these modern coffee tables are usually straight and wooden, although V-shaped legs can sometimes be found.
Some designers cleverly incorporated devices for enlarging the dimensions of the table top. There are coffee tables with drop leaves on either side, with slide-out extensions housed in a compartment directly under the table top, and tops that are enlarged by ingeniously concealed features revealed by pulling apart the two halves of the top.
A two-tiered Danish modern coffee table can also be found if that is a style you prefer. They will typically feature a second shelf near the bottom of the legs for holding larger items. Sometimes a cabinet or cubby-hole was incorporated into part of the space. Glass, either smoked or clear, is occasionally used as part of the construction.
The classic look of Danish modern coffee tables allows them to mix with many other styles of furnishings. In today’s houses, where blending of styles is very common, Danish modern pieces of furniture are enjoying renewed popularity. Vintage pieces are in demand, but new pieces are also readily available in a number of furniture stores.
Modern contemporary designs with leather couches, functional and comfortable lines are especially well complemented by a Danish modern coffee table. This design will probably never go out of style, making it a wise investment.