Madsen & Schubell Furniture
A powerhouse duo in Danish furniture design throughout the mid-20th century, Henry Hans Schubell and Arnold Madsen collaborated as Madsen & Schubell with Dutch company Bovenkamp and Vik & Blindheim on a range of furnishings and created memorable lounge chairs, armchairs and other seating throughout the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s — such as the iconic Clam chair — that represent the finest of Scandinavian modern design.
Born in 1906, Schubell was an apprentice cabinetmaker turned foreman by his early 20s. As a supervisor for cabinetmakers Winter and Winding, Schubell oversaw furniture production in their workshop until the mid-1940s. In 1944, a skilled upholster by the name of Arnold Madsen requested assistance from a cabinetmaker to make a prototype lounge chair based on a plaster model he’d made. Accepting the challenge, Schubell impressed Madsen to the point that he suggested they enter into a partnership. The Clam chair was their first collaboration as Madsen & Schubell.
According to Aaron FitzGerald, of Dagmar gallery, Madsen’s Clam chair is “one of the most sought-after and simultaneously misattributed and copied chair designs of the twentieth century.” In the past, it was ascribed to the Norwegian retailer Martin Olsen and then the Danish architect Philip Arctander. It was only through some dogged research by a team of international design historians and collectors that it was finally correctly associated with Madsen.
In the backyard of a modest home in Copenhagen, Schubell built wooden frames which Madsen then upholstered. They sold their finished products to dealers under their joint name, earning enough money to move production to a factory outside the city. Some models were under license by Norwegian company Vik & Blindheim while others were manufactured by Bovenkamp in the Netherlands. The pair’s partnership ended in 1963 in order for the designers to establish separate companies. Madsen opened a new upholstery firm with his son, Ib Madsen, under the name Madsen og Schubell, and Schubell continued to build frames for Madsen as Schubell & Son. (At some point, Ib also traded under the name Ib Madsen and Acton Schubell.)
Vintage Madsen & Schubell chairs offer sturdy build quality and the kind of superior upholstery that is typical among mid-century Scandinavian furniture. Working with a range of woods including teak, rosewood and birch, Madsen and Schubell accented natural wood grains with soft lambswool and sheepskin for a variety of comfortable seating.
Find vintage Madsen & Schubell Clam chairs and other seating on 1stDibs.
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Suede, Beech
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Chrome
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Suede, Oak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Teak
1940s Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Bentwood
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Faux Leather, Beech
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Upholstery, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Oak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Oak
1960s Dutch Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Fabric, Oak, Teak
1960s Dutch Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Fabric, Oak, Teak
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Bouclé, Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Textile, Wood, Oak
1960s Dutch Scandinavian Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Fabric, Oak, Teak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Wood, Oak, Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Textile, Wood, Oak
1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Fabric, Oak, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Wood, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Beech
20th Century European Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Bouclé, Oak, Teak
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Textile, Wood, Oak
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
1960s Dutch Scandinavian Modern Vintage Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Fabric, Oak, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Wood, Oak, Sheepskin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Oak, Leather, Textile, Wool, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Textile, Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Leather, Sheepskin, Textile, Wool, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Madsen & Schubell Furniture
Sheepskin, Oak