Jens Risom
Jens Risom was born in Denmark in 1919. He established himself as a designer of Scandinavian Modern style furniture and textiles in the United States, where he arrives in 1939. Amongst his early designs in the United States were those for Knoll, the first of which was a side chair with a cedar frame and seat and back of woven webbing. It was produced originally in 1943 and later modified when wartime restrictions on the use of particular materials were lifted. In 1946 Jens Risom Design was created, one of a small number of firms in the USA that specialized in modern furniture. The company also established a reputation for office furniture design. It was taken over by Dictaphone in 1970, Risom remaining as chief executive until 1973.