Niels Otto Møller

Danish designer and cabinetmaker Niels Otto Møller grew up in a family of furniture makers. He followed in his father's footsteps finishing his cabinetmaking apprenticeship in 1939 and going on to complete further training at design school in Arhus.

Moller was bursting with ideas for his own designs and eager to craft them to a high standard under his own strict technical supervision. In 1944 he founded the company JL Møller Møbelfabrik using the name of the family joinery business set up by his father, Jorgen L. Møller in the 1920's (which had been forced to close during the depression).

Niels Moller immediately began to design and produce several lines of furniture; namely dining chairs and tables. JL Møller quickly became well known for unerring quality and timeless modern designs with a series of highly successful chair designs such as the Model 71, 75 and 77 being designed between 1951 and 1959.

Primarily crafted from rosewood and teak, Møller's designs took inspiration from the forms of contemporary jewellery. Neils Møller would take his son out every weekend to see the latest designs in galleries and stores. You can see this attention to detail in the fine forms of his furniture designs. Chairs are executed with the precision of a jeweller and the forms perfectly embrace the body.

Under the leadership of Møller, his company flourished and expanded internationally. Critical success also came from winning Danish Furniture Prizes in 1974 and 1981.