Unique upholstery options for your fine furniture project - Danish rope cord weaving

You are looking to upholster your latest chair, bench or stool project, but you are looking for upholstery that  requires very little maintenance, will stand the test of time in terms of both strength and style, and is resistant to wear, discolouration and stains…

Have you thought about using Danish cord?

Danish Cord garnered attention after WW11 in Denmark and Europe, originating in Denmark and known for its importance in the Danish Modern period of the 1940’s and 1950’s. You will have seen Danish cord upholstery employed in  iconic furniture designs from Hans Wegner such as the Wishbone Chair, Peacock Chair and CH37 chair. Prior to the popularity of Danish cord, woven seats would have typically been made out of rope, rattan or leather - or even further back… twisted straw!

With interest in sustainable materials soaring in our current ecological climate, Danish cord is enjoying a further surge of popularity and is made entirely from unbleached natural paper twine. Danish cord is still widely made in Denmark, but its production is now international, with China producing cord at internationally competitive rates.

Danish cord is treated paper twisted into a three-ply rope, usually around 3.6mm thick. It tends to come in an unbleached, natural colour but it can also be bought in black or sometimes a bleached white cord. For furniture, the natural or black colour tends to contrast best with various woods like, Ash, Oak or Walnut. Find out more and book a place on our popular Danish cord weaving short weekend course.

The advantages of using Danish cord for upholstery are that it’s:

Incredibly durable: With careful use, a good seat is said to last up to 60 years before it needs to  

                                be rewoven.

Sustainable:           The cord is made out of smooth natural paper, which is waxed to give a 

                              resistant coating.

Strong:                    The natural strength of the intertwined cord, made stronger by the weave 

                               pattern, lends itself to a durable chair that can take a lot of weight and is 

                     resistant to wear.

Protected:              Most Danish cord manufacturers treat the paper cord with a light wax in 

                                order to make it more resistant to discolouration and stains.

Style and character: The craft of weaving seating from Danish cord means that it’s difficult to 

                                   replicate on a mass level of production, as such it is generally only seen on 

                                 high end furniture handcrafted by makers. The style of the weave can create 

                               different aesthetic looks on furniture.

Weave styles:          You can choose from many different weave patterns to give your chair a 

                               unique look.

The Danish cord comes in two different types - laced and unlaced. Laced rope cord is similar to typical rope where the three twisted strands can be clearly seen. With unlaced cord, the three strands are not as noticeable. We use laced cord on our Danish cord weaving short weekend course.

On our Danish cord weaving short weekend course at Williams & Cleal, we generally teach the two by two pattern and another weave option - but there are many possibilities with a woven seat. Online, you can find patterns for Herringbone weaves, open weave, vintage weaves and wood splints and diamond weaves. You do have to choose your pattern carefully, as some patterns are not ultimately suited to cord - such as when  you have to weave through holes in a frame or on a circular seat. The reason for this is that the cord is quite thick and is difficult to pass through holes on the frame - and when turned at an angle on a sharp edge, the cord would shear on the edge of the hole under weight stress. Additionally, the reason it doesn’t suit round chairs is that the round paper cord can slide or move, as such it’s difficult to keep in place when weaving around a circular rail.

It has been said that them most challenging area of weaving a Danish cord seat is keeping the tension right across the whole seat and maintaining a regularity of straight lines of cord, particularly on patterns with a diagonal line running in to the centre

Why not come along and make a beautiful Danish cord stool in Ash, Oak or Walnut. Spaces are limited so book your place on our Danish cord weaving short weekend course today. We also offer gift vouchers on checkout should you wish to purchase the course as a gift.