Carl Hansen opened his furniture workshop in Odense, Denmark in 1908 and soon became known for the high quality of his work. In the early days, the company produced bespoke furniture - including everything from dining room sets to bedroom suites. As the company grew and times changed, however, it gradually began to produce smaller series of its most popular pieces. This combination of hand craftsmanship and rational series production soon became the firm's hallmark - and continues to set it apart today.Until the middle of the 1940s Carl Hansen & Søn cooperated with Frits Henningsen, a famous Danish architect. Frits Henningsen designed a series of Windsor chairs whereof Carl Hansen & Søn produced some of the models until 2003.