Gunni Omann
Gunni Omann (14th of May 1930 – 14th of March 2009) was the designer of the most renowned furniture from Omann Jun's Møbelfabrik A/S. Attention to detail, craftsmanship, and quality were the hallmarks of his design.
Gunni Omann in headlines
- In 1951, Gunni Omann was trained as a cabinetmaker with Max Rasmussen Furniture A/S.
- In 1954, Gunni Omann graduated as a furniture designer from the Technical College in Aarhus and started designing for Omann Jun's Møbelfabrik A/S.
- In 1979, Gunni Omann and his younger brother, Bjarne Omann, jointly took over Omann Jun’s Møbelfabrik A/S from their father and founder, Andreas Omann.
- In 1980, Gunni Omann saw the need and designed an office collection targeted at the professional office segment.
- In 1989, Gunni Omann was forced to sell his 50% of the company due to health problems.
Background
The Danish furniture manufacturing company Omann Jun's Møbelfabrik A/S was founded by Andreas Omann in 1933. The family-run business initially focused on the production of bedroom furniture but later, in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, expanded into dining room furniture, desks, sideboards, and shelving systems made of high-quality woods, such as teak, oak, and rosewood, which were exported worldwide.
Gunni Omann, eldest son of Andreas Omann, was the designer in the family business and designed some of the most noteworthy pieces from Omann Jun's Møbelfabrik A/S.
Gunni Omann was trained as a cabinetmaker with Max Rasmussen Furniture A/S in Odense, and was awarded his diploma on the 27th of April 1951.
Having served in the Army for two years, Gunni Omann attended the Technical College in Aarhus where he graduated as a furniture designer in October 1954.
Upon graduation, Gunni Omann returned home to the family business where he started to apply his designing skills as well as assisting his father in the operation of the factory.
On the 2nd of February 1957, Gunni Omann travelled to the USA, where he worked within the furniture industry studying rationalization and modern production methods. During his stay, Gunni Omann had an extensive exchange of letters with his father, sending 63 typewritten letters in 16 months, about new furniture models, designs, production methods to be implemented at the factory in Denmark, and the expansion of sales into the American market. The development in sales of recently designed models by Gunni Omann was followed closely from across the Atlantic Ocean.
Due to increased activity in the family business, his father, Andreas Omann, asked Gunni Omann to return and assist him. On the 29th of May 1958, Gunni Omann returned to Denmark, and immediately started working alongside his father, optimizing and implementing modern production methods as well as further developing his design work.
The following years
When Omann Jun's Møbelfabrik moved away from producing bedroom furniture, Gunni Omann designed unique individual pieces – sideboards, desks, dining tables – especially models no. 18, 75, and 55 have become some of the most renowned designs from his hand. The story goes that the dining table no. 55 was such a success that, at one point, Mr. Hans J. Wegner visited furniture stores in Denmark to see what the reason was for the declining sales of his own dining tables.
During his stay in the USA and after returning home to the family business, Gunni Omann created some of his best designs, such as:
- model no. 75, desk (1958)
- model no. 18, sideboard (1960)[1]
- model no. 55, dining table (1961)
The most popular pieces of the company's vintage furniture were designed by Gunni Omann – considered modern art works of his generation, and frequently sold at international auctions today.
During a sales trip to the USA and Canada in 1980, Gunni Omann saw the need for an office line targeted at the professional market – having returned home from the USA, Gunni Omann started designing an office line that took the company into the professional business segment of the market and the company to a new level.
Gunni Omann also designed for Axel Christiansen A/S in Odder.
Time line - Omann Jun`s Møbelfabrik
- In 1933, Omann Jun's Møbelfabrik was founded by Andreas Omann.
- In 1954, Gunni Omann joined his father in the family business.
- In 1965, Bjarne Omann, his 10 years younger brother, also joined the family business.
- In 1979, Gunni Omann and Bjarne Omann jointly took over the family business.
- In 1989, after 35 years of working with design, product, and sales development, Gunni Omann was forced to sell his 50% share of the company due to health problems.
References
- The family and business relations of Gunni Omann.
- Danish Design Magazine "Mobilia" (1956-1961) - 36 advertisements by Omann Jun's Møbelfabrik of designs by Gunni Omann.
- Jens Bruun, founder of "Scan Design Inc." in the states of Washington, Oregon and Hawaii.
- Danish Mafia - www.danishmafia.com
- Bruun-Rasmussen A/S, Denmark - Auctioneers of fine art and designs, etc.
- Lauritz.com - Auctioneers of fine art and designs, etc.
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