The History of the Wishbone Chair

Danish designer and former cabinet maker Hans Wegner designed the sleek, midcentury modern Wishbone Chair (also known as the Y Chair due to its shape) within his first three weeks at Carl Hansen & Søn. Formally known as the CH24, it was designed alongside four less famous siblings, the CH22, CH23, CH25, and CH26. Wegner’s Wishbone Chair was inspired by the wide-seated, high-backed thrones of Ming Dynasty China and is made up of 14 separate components. Each element requires roughly 100 individual processes to prepare before the chair can be assembled. Interestingly, the iconic seat itself is made from nearly 400 feet of paper cord woven together! The Wishbone Chair was first manufactured in 1950 and has been in continuous production ever since. Today, it is an icon of midcentury modern design and can be found in homes all around the world.