As for him, it is hard to choose a favourite piece. “That’s a tricky question; it depends on the day. If you asked me this question yesterday, I would have said the PK61 coffee table. Today, I would say the PK33 stool because it reminds me of my granddaughter who loved to sit on her knees with her elbows on the stool when watching cartoons,” said the father of two sons endearingly.
Everyday, he interacts with his father’s designs, all of which are sold in his store. An on-going duty is to make an archive. “It has pamphlets and various things we have collected, including some folders from the early 1960s with photographs of the designs,” Thomas shared.
Furthermore, in keeping with his father’s legacy, Thomas and Krestine do two things: “We educate our children on the legacy of Poul Kjaerholm, their grandfather. Every year at the end of May, we all come together and talk about different subjects, do things or show our children something about him and his work,” said Thomas. One year, Michael Sheridan, who wrote the book Poul Kjaerholm Furniture Architect, joined the gathering.
Fans can look forward to adding to their collection, as the family is constantly in talks with Fritz Hansen about what to “bring to life” next. Thomas shared: “At my shop, I have a small exhibition showcasing many of the prototypes. It has a good overview of my father’s body of work. Some of these pieces have been designed for a specific purpose, like the PK23 chair that we are launching with Fritz Hansen in 2025.”
He explains that the chair was designed in the mid-1950s for the interior of the FL Smidth cement factor headquarters. “Wide and low in form, it was intended as a conversational chair but did not make it beyond sketches at that time. My mother later approved a prototype, and it is now set to come into production for the first time.”
