Beautiful joinery and unassuming aesthetics come together in Børge Mogensen’s sideboard, designed in 1957. The sideboard stands out for its exceptional craftsmanship in oak and brass; however, Børge Mogensen aimed to avoid an overly ostentatious style. He achieved this balance by allowing the materials to speak for themselves without unnecessary decoration, focusing instead on adding several functional details. He designed the sideboard with enough space for a complete 12-piece dinner set, and ensured that the design allowed multiple sideboards to be combined into a single larger unit.
Børge Mogensen was known as "the people’s designer" – not only because of his convivial nature, but also because, throughout his career, he insisted on designing quality furniture that was accessible to everyone. Mogensen’s approach to the creative process was to produce pieces that placed humans at the center and could last for generations. With this philosophy, he became one of the most influential designers of the post-war era and a prominent figure among the creators of Danish Modern. Mogensen’s ambition to design simple and functional wooden furniture for both private and public spaces aligned, and continues to align, with the Danish understanding of design and the concept of democratic design.