Vermund Larsen

{{short description|Danish furniture designer and manufacturer}} {{Infobox architect |image = Vermund Larsen.jpg |image_size = |caption = Photograph portrait of Vermund Larsen, circa 1955. |name = Vermund Larsen |birth_date = 27 February 1909 |birth_place = Hellerup, Denmark |death_date = {{Death date and age |1970|2|28|1909|2|27|df=y}} |death_place = Aalborg, Denmark |alma_mater = Aalborg Cathedral School | practice = Manufacturer and designer | significant_projects = * 1944 Patent for window-lock with security. * 1956 Nr. 1100 (design) * 1955 Producer of Europes first glass fiber chair produced in one pour. * 1962 first one worldwide to use a gas spring to adjust the seating height. * 1964 VL118 (design) * 1966 VL66 (design) }}

'''Vermund Larsen''' (27 February 1909 – 28 February 1970) was a Danish furniture designer and manufacturer. Larsen became known for his work while living in Aalborg, an industrial city in northern Denmark. Larsen is best known for creating Europe's first glass–fiber chair in 1955<ref name=":0">MODERN DANISH FURNITURE. Author: HIORT Esbjørn. Publisher: Architectural Book Publishing Co. /Zwemmer / Hatje / Niggli und Willy / Gjellerups,, New York / London, Stuttgart / Teufen / Kobenhavn. Date 1956.</ref>.

==Early life== Vermund Larsen was born in 1909 in Hellerup, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark. Larsen moved to Aalborg at age 14 when his father, Captain S. K. Larsen, served in the Danish military in Aalborg. After studying at Aalborg Cathedral School, Larsen became a trainee at M. Kragelund Factories. He then served in the military. Upon completing his service at age 26, he bought P.C. Petersen, an abandoned iron production company, in 1935. At P.C. Petersen, Larsen began working with steel and became interested in steel furniture manufacturing. In 1944, Larsen invented and patented a window lock.<ref>[http://dk.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=dk.espacenet.com&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=dk_DK&FT=D&date=19450604&CC=DK&NR=63580C&KC=C Espacenet — Bibliografiske data]{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The lock was child-proof and had a feather mechanism that theoretically could not be drilled through, thereby making it resistant to break-ins.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.vela.dk/images/historie/1944-artikel.jpg|title=Snild Laasemekanism til Vinduer|access-date=November 27, 2017}}</ref>

== Career == thumb|Picture from the production when the factory was in Fjordgade in Aalborg – start of the 1940s In 1948, Larsen began to focus on the construction of office furniture. Larsen took an interest in office chairs after reading an article in the ''Journal of Danish Handcraft'' entitled "The Seated Position – and Chairs" by Dr. Snorason. The article discussed ergonomics and the importance of furniture that supports proper sitting posture.

Larsen then began designing and manufacturing ergonomic desk chairs.<ref>Jyllands-Posten 1955-10-19</ref> In 1951, production consisted of the following categories: barber chairs, helmsman seats and ship Equipment for, among others the Cargo liner, MS Hans Hedtoft, and office furniture, such as the Ideal A Chair.<ref>{{Citation |title=List of chairs |date=2026-02-11 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_chairs&oldid=1337804981 |access-date=2026-02-17 |language=en}}</ref>

==Notable accomplishments== * 1948–Holmegaard glass competition and Danish Cabinetmakers Guild award * 1955–Europe's first fiberglass chair produced in one pour with Ib Kofod-Larsen<ref name=":0" /><ref>Aalborg Stiftstidende 1956-07-08</ref> * 1956–Design for the so-called "No. 1100" also called the stacking chair * 1960–Design for the new Falck straps for Danish ambulances<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ambulance Mercedes 1960 ZR 768 – Zonen |url=https://www.zrv.dk/bevarede-zonen-vogne/ambulance-mercedes-1960-zr-768/ |access-date=2026-02-17 |language=da-DK}}</ref><ref>Aalborg Stiftstidende 1960-01-21</ref> * 1960s–Supplied all conductor seats to the Hamburg Hochbahn<ref name="autogeneret1">Aalborg Stiftstidende 1969-02-25</ref><ref>https://www.hochbahn.de/en/company/the-history-of-hochbahn/1955-2018-the-subway-grows-with-the-city</ref> * 1962–First to use a gas cartridge on a chair for height adjustment<ref>{{cite web|title=Vermund|url=http://vermund.eu/newss/who-is-vermund/|website=vermund.eu}}</ref> * 1964–Design of "118", later VL118 * 1966–Design of "VELA Lux", later VL66. * 1969–50% of all sales went to export<ref name="autogeneret1" />

== Death == Vermund Larsen died in Aalborg in 1970. His twin sons, Stig and Gorm, ran the company under the name VELA.<ref>[http://www.vela.eu/about-vela/history VELA – History]</ref>

== Gallery == <gallery> File:Nr1100.jpg|Nr. 1100 designed by Vermund Larsen in 1956. File:Vl118.jpg|Chair VL118 designed by Vermund Larsen in 1964. File:Vl66.jpg|Chair VL66 designed by Vermund Larsen in 1966. File:Cosy stol 135.jpg|Cosy Chair 135 designed by Vermund Larsen in the 1960s. File:Chefstol.jpg|Chef chair - sketched and produced by Vermund Larsen. File:Ideal A.jpg|Ideal A - sketched and produced by Vermund Larsen. File:Stabelstol 140.png|sketched and produced by Vermund Larsen. File:Cosystol2.jpg|Cosy chair - sketched and produced by Vermund Larsen. </gallery>

== References == {{reflist|2}}

== External links == * [http://vermund.eu/nyheder/vermund-larsen-den-glemte-fabrikant.aspx Vermund Larsen — Den glemte fabrikant] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324145642/http://vermund.eu/nyheder/vermund-larsen-den-glemte-fabrikant.aspx |date=2016-03-24 }} * [http://vermund.eu/vermund/historien-bag.aspx Historien bag] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324163823/http://vermund.eu/vermund/historien-bag.aspx |date=2016-03-24 }} * [http://www.e-pages.dk/bogodt/214/3 Bo Godt – 2015-01/11]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larsen, Vermund}} Category:Danish furniture designers Category:Businesspeople from Copenhagen Category:20th-century Danish businesspeople Category:Danish company founders Category:1909 births Category:1970 deaths Category:20th-century Danish inventors