Teak sideboard designed by Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen and made by the Danish manufacturer Søborg Møbelfabrik in the 1950s.

It presents a retractable desk, five drawers, and a joint construction on top and bottom cabinet sides.

Exceptionally well crafted with elegant finger joinery in the corners and sculpted handles on the drawers.

It is in excellent vintage condition.

Hvidt & Mølgaard was a Copenhagen-based Danish design and architectural firm which existed from 1944 until 2009. Founded by Peter Hvidt (1916-1986) and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen (1907-1993), the company was a pioneering force in Danish furniture design and industrialized production in the 1950s, creating furniture easy to mass-produce and economical to transport.

Danish architect-designer Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen was born in 1907. His formative years were spent in Copenhagen, studying at the Aalborg Technical School (graduating in 1924) and at the Art and Crafts School of the Design Museum (graduating in 1928). From 1931 until 1934, he continued his studies in furniture design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under Danish master Kaare Klint (1888-1954).

Danish architect-designer Peter Hvidt was born in Copenhagen in 1916. He studied architecture and cabinetry at the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen. Subsequently, he worked at various design firms before establishing his studio in 1942. From 1942 to 1945, Hvidt taught at the School of Arts and Crafts. In 1944, Hvidt designed the Portex Chair, which was one of Denmark’s first stacking chairs. Hvidt, whose design aesthetic was traditional throughout the 1940s, frequently exhibited at the Cabinetmaker’s Guild exhibitions as both a designer and architect. He also worked with the lighting manufacturer Le Klint on numerous lighting designs.

In 1944, the pair co-established Hvidt & Mølgaard Studio, which they ran together until 1975. The pair created designs for Fritz Hansen, France & Søn, and Søborg Møbelfabrik. In 1950, the couple designed the AX Chair, which solidified their careers as industrial designers and became an icon of Danish mid-century design. AX  was inspired by American design duo Charles and Ray Eames and was the first Danish chair that was crafted with both a seat and back made of curved laminated wood. The chair utilized a laminated technique for production, which Fritz Hansen carried out. The chair’s design allowed for mass production and easy packaging, opening a flourishing market for Danish furniture to be exported worldwide. The AX Chair was eventually accompanied by the AX Table, which was exhibited in 1951 as part of the “Good Design” show sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Like many designers of the mid-century period, they also incorporated leather in their designs and teak and cane. They created modular units such as bookcases and living room sets. Other designs by the pair include the FD134 Chair, FD145 Chair, Gateleg Dining Table, Minerva Sofa, and the Model 523—or Pinwheel—side table (all 1950s for France & Søn).

Hvidt & Mølgaard focused on architectural projects, which spanned office buildings and factories, such as the De Danske Sukkerfabrikker building in Copenhagen (1958), as well as collective housing projects in Søllerød, Hillerød, and Birkerød (1962–1970). People knew them for their light, simple, and clear designs, which they carried out precisely. In 1970, Hans Kristensen (b. 1933) joined the firm, helping the pair to design the Little Belt Bridge (1965-1970) and the Vejle Fjord Bridge (1975- 1980).

Both Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen retired in 1975, designing over 256 pieces of furniture together throughout their careers. Hvidt passed away in 1986 and Mølgaard-Nielsen in 1993. Hvidt received the Diplôme d’Honneur at Milan’s Triennale in 1951 and 1954. Mølgaard-Nielsen was jointly awarded an iF Product Design Award for the Safari lamp for Nordisk Solar Compagni (1981, Christian Hvidt, Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen). It is possible to find their work at New York’s MoMA, the National Gallery in Melbourne, and the Danish Museum of Art & Design in Copenhagen.

After the founders ‘ retirement, the company continued to thrive and was run by Kristensen, Peter Holsøe (b. 1943), and Hvidt’s son Henrik Hvidt (b. 1945). Later architectural works include buildings for Nokia (1996) and DONG in Copenhagen’s South Docklands and two masterplans for major harbor redevelopments in Estonia. In 2009, the company was split in two, forming Hvidt Arkitekter and Holsøe Arkitekter.