Kurt Østervig – A Versatile Master of Danish Design

Hans J. Wegner and Arne Jacobsen are names almost every admirer of Danish design will recognize. Yet one of the most prolific and versatile designers of his era has remained less known to the wider public: Kurt Østervig.

Kurt Ejvind Østervig was born in 1912 in Odense, on the Danish island of Funen. Trained as a shipbuilder and naval architect, he began his career at the Odense Staalskibsværft shipyard, designing steel and metal vessels.
Before long, however, the organic beauty of wood won over the cold precision of metal. Østervig discovered his passion for furniture design and, in the early 1930s, joined the architectural office of E. Knudsen in Odense. In 1947, he established his own design studio – the beginning of a career that would span four decades.

Østervig worked closely with some of the most important Scandinavian furniture manufacturers of the time, including Randers Møbelfabrik and KP Jørgensen Møbelfabrik. His designs gained international recognition early on: awards at the Milan Triennale in 1953 and 1960, and an invitation to exhibit at New York's Museum of Modern Art in 1960.

Wood was always at the heart of Østervig's work. While he also designed in teak and rosewood, the majority of his production was crafted in oak. As a designer, he was exceptionally versatile – unbound by a single signature style, and equally comfortable exploring a variety of shapes, forms, and aesthetics. This flexibility extended to his commissions for private homes, hotels, ships, and other public buildings.

Although highly respected within professional circles during his lifetime, Østervig never achieved the same level of global name recognition as some of his contemporaries. He continued to design well into the 1980s, until his death in 1986.

In recent years, however, Kurt Østervig's work has gained the attention it deserves. His furniture is now highly sought after in prestigious design auctions worldwide – Kurt Østervig has finally claimed his rightful place among the masters of Danish design.

Explore our current selection of the production of Kurt Østervig