Ib Kofod-Larsen was a Danish mid-century modern furniture designer famous for his minimalist and organic style. Throughout his career, he primarily worked for the British and Danish design companies G-Plan and Faarup. Along with other Danish designers at the time, Kofod-Larsen established the minimalist and elegant form of modern Scandinavian furniture. Many of his original furniture designs and pieces are still sought-after in the market.
Biography
Ib Kofod-Larsen was born in 1921 in a small Danish village. Growing up, he developed a keen interest in design and architecture, eventually enrolling in the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. When he enrolled in the university, he was already a certified cabinetmaker; during his time at the Royal Academy, he specialized in architecture and cabinet-making, harnessing his two passions into one.
By the early 1950s, his work grew famous in other Scandinavian countries, most notably Sweden. He began working for Dansk Glasfiber Industri, a company specializing in fiberglass products. They were interested in Kofod-Larsen’s experimental style and hired him to develop heat-hardened polyester furniture. Throughout the next decade, he worked on multiple furniture designs, expanding to materials such as experimental glass and fabrics.
By the 1960s and 1970s, Kofod-Larsen was designing furniture for G-Plan and Faarup. His partnership with G-Plan began in 1963. G-Plan, a British furniture brand, commissioned a modern Danish-style furniture range from Kofod-Larsen. He designed many of their mahogany and oak cabinets at the time. Faarup introduced Kofod-Larsen’s range of minimalist sideboards and living room tables.
Kofod-Larsen also worked with various other prominent furniture designers and manufacturers, including Carlo Gahrn, Bovenkamp, Christensen & Larsen, and Fredericia Furniture. While Kofod-Larsen mostly made furniture, focusing on cabinets, tables, and seating, he was also famous for other works such as radios and television cabinets. In his textile and fabric designs he made wallpaper, curtains, and upholstery.
Kofod-Larsen’s Works
Kofod-Larsen became famous for his minimalist mid-century design styles. He mostly used teak, rosewood, and leather to create simplistic lines. His chairs often incorporated circular seating positions with pointed legs. The materials he used allowed him to create organic sculptural lines. Although his designs may appear simple, they make strong use of symmetry and lush patterns. Among his chair designs, the Elizabeth (U-56), the Penguin, and the Seal are most revered.
His cabinets are also highly valuable. Most of his cabinets emphasize the grain quality of the wood, and often make use of teak or rosewood in their symmetrical patterns.
Market Value of Kofod-Larsen’s Works
After his death in 2003, Kofod-Larsen’s designs have grown in value. During his lifetime, his pieces sold for a few thousand dollars; currently, they sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
Kofod-Larsen sideboards and cabinets sell for $10,000 to $15,000 at the minimum. Smaller, less popular pieces such as his upholstery, wallpaper, and curtains can sell for less–often under a thousand dollars, though his earlier designs can sell for higher prices.
Kofod-Larsen’s chairs are the most popular of his works. An Elizabeth chair can sell for at least $40,000. His other chairs, including the Penguin and the Seal, can sell for anywhere between $10,000 and $50,000. Many of the chairs and ottomans that Kofod-Larsen created at Christensen & Larsen are sold for $50,000 at the minimum. These pieces have higher value because they come from his own furniture line.
Variations on his original designs can sell for significantly higher amounts. For instance, for a limited time, he designed a variation of the Elizabeth chair as a settee. Such settees are now very rare and can sell for much higher than $50,000. By contrast, Kofod-Larsen’s industrial furniture works are more widely available than these pieces; these works, including those from G-Plan and Faarup, sell for less, though their sale value sill ranges above $10,000.
Appraise and Sell Kofod-Larsen Furniture
If you have any works by Ib Kofod-Larsen, get in touch with our experts at Revere Auctions. If you would like to sell your Kofod-Larsen pieces, you can auction them at our location in St. Paul, Minnesota. We also offer our services online.
You can contact us anytime for a free auction estimate if you want to sell Kofod-Larsen’s work. We have a very simple process. After you send us the photos of the work, our experts will take a look, analyze, and provide you an estimate of the amount the artwork is likely to reach at auction.
If you need an appraisal for Kofod-Larsen’s work, we provide a certified appraisal report that can be used for estate taxes, donations, and insurance coverage. Our appraisals are compliant with Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice and are accepted by insurance companies, charity agencies, and the IRS.