Hans J. Wegner’s chairs now sit inside a farm that stood on the Danish marshlands for more than 500 years, at the museum in Tønder, the new home of his work.
Museum Wegner opened to visitors this spring in Tønder, in southern Denmark. It is the first phase of a renovation that started in 2024 and continues. Copenhagen-based architecture practice Cobe led the first phase, which transformed Hestholm, a historic farm dating to the 15th century.
Rooted in Tønder: The Setting of museum wegner tønder
Hestholm sits in an open landscape of marshes just outside Tønder. The location matters to the project and to the museum. Tønder is where Hans J. Wegner was born, and where he trained as a carpenter before becoming one of the most celebrated furniture designers of the 20th century. He is known as the “Master of the Chair,” and his work includes the Wishbone Chair.
Restoring an old farmhouse with care is a theme that runs through this renovation, and a Scottish cottage rebuilt with salvaged stone shows a similar respect for the original structure. Reclaimed granite brings a Victorian cottage back to life for a close comparison.
Cobe took its cues from Wegner’s approach to design. The team restored the rural character of the original farmhouse and added a contemporary extension. The new volume complements the old buildings and draws on vernacular architecture, the building traditions shaped by local materials and custom. It offers a modern reading of the region’s building culture rather than a copy of it.
The main farmhouse kept its thatched roof and timber framework. For the long stables, the architects chose modern steel roofs that follow the shape of the original structures. Cobe cut new openings into the walls, and these frame the marshland, groves and meadows beyond. Cobe used wood for the buildings, the designer’s preferred material.
The Hans Wegner museum combines exhibition rooms with a public café, a library, workshop spaces, an event space and a furniture archive. Visitors there see Wegner’s furniture against the marsh landscape. The architecture reflects his principles of clarity, simplicity, function and craftsmanship, and the result puts the landscape at the center of the design.
Wegner’s furniture belongs to a longer tradition of shaping wood into seating, and a look at bent-wood chairs shows how that craft has evolved. Bent wood innovations from Yasuda to Teixeira is worth a click for anyone curious about the material.
Cobe was founded in Copenhagen in 2006 by architect and professor Dan Stubbergaard. The studio describes its work as built for people, shaped by context and designed to last. As a furniture museum, Museum Wegner shows that approach at a small scale. The farm keeps its past in view, and the new rooms make it useful for visitors today.
Via gessato.com
Frequently asked questions
What is Museum Wegner and where is it located?
Museum Wegner is a museum for Hans J. Wegner’s furniture that opened to visitors in Tønder, in southern Denmark. It is the first phase of a renovation that started in 2024 and is still continuing.
Who designed the renovation of the Hestholm farm in Tønder?
Copenhagen-based architecture practice Cobe led the first phase of the project, which transformed Hestholm, a historic farm dating to the 15th century. The farm sits in an open landscape of marshes just outside Tønder.
What facilities does the Hans Wegner museum in Tønder include?
The Hans Wegner museum combines exhibition rooms with a public café, a library, workshop spaces, an event space and a furniture archive. Visitors see Wegner’s furniture set against the marsh landscape.
How did the architects restore the original farmhouse and stables?
The main farmhouse kept its thatched roof and timber framework, while the long stables received modern steel roofs that follow the shape of the original structures. Cobe also used wood for the buildings and cut new openings into the walls that frame the surrounding marshland, groves and meadows.
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