Scandinavian design daybed H.V.

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Designed in 1955, Helge Vestergard Jensen’s daybed is a metaphor for the human skeleton. Two spinal columns support a cage of ribs. The legs and arms bend like elbows and knees. The torso is stitched together by 150 meters of nylon cord in place of skin. Looking to nature for design inspiration was at the heart of organic designs from the 1950s. Vestergaard Jensen takes the inspiration beyond just visual metaphor and actually looks at mechanical elements of the human body to create a dynamic bed that flexes like the human body. Twenty ball and socket joints modelled on hip joints allow a degree of movement where the ribs meet the main rails of the bed or torso. When a person sits or lies on the nylon cord, the rails are pulled inwards but for being jammed against the ribs. To prevent the legs from splaying outwards as the rail pivots ever so slightly inwards, a spring or tendon is pulled between the legs and arms at either end. Between the jamming effect of the ball and sockets joints and the pulling effect of the tensioned legs and arms, the daybed can dynamically flex when in use. Made by Cabinetmaker Niels Roth Andersen, Alderman of the Cabinetmakers Guild of Copenhagen.