Magnus Læssøe Stephensen
A visionary designer bridging cultures and generations
Magnus Læssøe Stephensen (1903–1984) was a polymath. An architect, a maker of furniture, cutlery, and everyday objects, he collaborated with icons like Fritz Hansen and Kay Bojesen.
His work blended warm functionalism with echoes of Bauhaus and the delicate poetry of Japanese arts and crafts, always rooted in Nordic materials.
He was a designer whose creations quietly shaped homes and interiors, touching the lives within them. A legacy that continues to inspire, gently, across generations.
The Golden Age of Danish Design
Old cabinetmakers called him “a revolutionary.” Perhaps he smiled. Perhaps they were right.
As curator of the Annual Guild Exhibition, he challenged the ordinary. The polished mahogany interiors of the bourgeois past gave way to a new, democratic vision: architects and cabinetmakers collaborating to craft interiors for ordinary flats. Functional, honest, unpretentious – a language of form and craft that became the heart of Nordic design.
Sketch of the WNG Chair from 1937 from the archive
ARCH Chair from 1932
The book "Brugsting fra Japan" by Magnus Stephensen and Snorre Stephensen
From the East, a lasting impression
Six months in Japan, immersed in daily life, observation, and craft - later followed by his son Snorre - left subtle traces in everything he created.
Together they documented their discoveries in the book Brugsting fra Japan. The simplicity, restraint, and quiet poetry of Japanese craft traveled with him, echoing in his furniture, his silver, and his design philosophy.
A dialogue between East and North, lasting and gentle.
"Når vi har set, at det at gengive brugen og vise os det smukke ved konstruktion er en del af kunstens opgave, må det også være klart, at tingene først er rigtige, når de bruges rigtige."
— Magnus Læssøe Stephensen
Article 1941, Jubilee Catalogue for A. J. Iversen,
“Møbelhåndværk gennem 25 år”
A wide-ranging practice
Stephensen’s work spans furniture, ceramics, and household objects in silver and stainless steel. A close friendship with Kay Bojesen led him into silver, cutlery for Georg Jensen, and tableware for the Royal Porcelain Factory. Furniture, too, bore his mark – including the DAN chair from 1931, now reintroduced as the MZO Chair.
His silverware, including the Tuja cutlery, remains part of MoMA’s permanent collection. In 1953, he received the Eckersberg Medal. Today, his creations live in eleven museums worldwide.
Georg Jensen Silverware Tuja from 1956
Georg Jensen Sterling Silver Terrine by Magnus Stephensen
MZO Chair from 1931
The Architect — Functionalism with humanity
Trained as a carpenter and graduating from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1930, Magnus approached architecture with assured functionalism and a human touch. His work, often in collaboration with Knud Thorball and Frits Schlegel, reflects restrained yet subtly unorthodox modernism, balancing variation, occasional whimsy, and a focus on the human experience.
Original modernistic architecture drawing from the archive
Mazo and the Designer
Mazo holds the exclusive rights to manufacture and reintroduce the work of Magnus Læssøe Stephensen. We relaunch both classics and hidden gems, guided by authenticity. Stephensen's creativity has endured across generations, with some pieces becoming collectors’ items, and others now revived through our efforts.
Some works have become collectors’ items in Europe, the US, and Japan. Others disappeared – until we took up the mantle to reintroduce them, letting them live again.
Magnus Læssøe Stephensen and Danish Architect Erik Møller, 1935