Niels Roth Andersen

After Finn Juhl’s death in 1989, Hanne Wilhelm Hansen (Finn Juhl’s widow) gave the production of the Chieftain chair to cabinetmaker Niels Roth Andersen (NRA). At this point the chair underwent some aesthetic changes that clearly differentiated it from its predecessors. Most notably was the arm shell material changed from steel to fiberglass. Thick foam padding was also added to the arms giving the chair a less elegant and bloated appearance. The beackrest also appears to be made with foam rubber, unlike the predesessors that used horsehair and felt. The quality of the joinery was undeniably excellent, but aesthetically the chair lost some of it’s streamlined elegance.

It is impossible to say how many chairs NRA made, but given the number seen at auction in recent years, it’s reasonable to say the number is probably in the hundreds. The chairs that appear to be the most desirable have the early brand SH/Niels Roth Andersen. In recent years a number of chairs have been on the market with a later stamp that doesn’t include the ‘SH’ (Sørn Horn) insignia, which is presumably in connection with the sale of Niels Roth Andersen’s workshop to Carl Hansen & Søn A/S in July 2013, .

There is a limited amount of information available in the public domain pertaining to the Niels Roth Andersen’s workshop. There is an interesting excerpt from the book, Handvaerk og Livsvaerk by Samuel Rachlinby which outlines some dealings between Ejnar Pedersen and Niels Roth Andersen.

(Ejnar Pedersen) Some time later I was together with Hanne Wilhelm Hansen, and we came to talk about Juhl's furniture and who she wanted to give the production to. There was one of his chairs, which I was very excited about, and that suited completely to PP.

"Hanne, I do not know if it would be of interest to you, but there is one of Finn's chairs, the 45-chair, which I would very much like to do with PP," I said a little cautiously. "It suits us completely. Could I just make it out with us? We can do that. "

"Absolutely,", she replied promptly. “It would be great if you want to take it. "

I told her that I had to have Søren (P.P. partner) on it and we agreed that we would come in to her and talk about things. A few days later, Søren and I went to Hanne privately at the Kratvænget in Klampenborg and had a cup of afternoon tea. Hanne was very well organized and had prepared herself for the meeting so she had drawings and made it all for us. We actually agreed, but suddenly Niels Roth Andersen comes into the living room, just as we sit there drinking tea. He was a carpenter in Copenhagen, and it was him who at that time made the Chieftain Chair and a lot of others of Juhl's furniture. I do not know where he came from and if Hanne had invited him, but suddenly he stood there. Hanne looked at him and said,

"Yes, we are sitting here talking with Ejnar and Søren that PP should make the 45-chair that they would like to take over."

"Well, I'm so sorry," said Niels. "Because I have just ordered a lot of rosewood to make a series of fifty 45 chairs. We will make it a numbered special series with a silver plate at the bottom. "

"In that case, we certainly should not touch anything," I said immediately, and then that story was no longer - at least not until I met Hanne again half a year later.

"How are the rosewood chairs, Hanne?" I asked.

She smiled indignantly:

"He never did anything about it. He had not done anything at all and had not ordered any rosewood. It was just hot air."

Later, Hanne decided to leave the entire production of Juhl's furniture to Hansen and Sørensen, the two producers from Ringkøbing, whose company is today called One Collection. When I met them one day, I told them about the story of the 45 chair and asked if I could not get it for PP, because I had such a promise on Hanne. I could, they said, but then I would produce it for them. I was not interested in that, and then the issue was put to rest.