Fifties Scandinavian design, beyond the cliché

Danish furniture of the 1950s is not a decorative style, it is a school of cabinetmaking. The best pieces come from workshops where the designer worked alongside a master joiner, and the joinery shows it.

Look for structural details: exposed dovetails, legs socketed with a slight shoulder, backrests bent from a single piece. Many pieces carry a workshop stamp under the seat or on the back.

Beware of teak. Its warm colour was massively imitated with thin veneers glued onto chipboard from the 1970s onwards. A damaged edge is usually enough to settle the question.