Audo Copenhagen The Penguin Dining Chair - Seat Upholstered

The Audo Copenhagen Penguin Dining Chair - Seat Upholstered offers a balanced approach to Ib Kofod-Larsen's 1953 masterpiece, combining the visual beauty of exposed wood with the practical comfort of upholstered seating. This version features a cushioned seat while keeping the distinctive penguin-wing backrest in natural oak or walnut veneer, creating an appealing contrast between materials and textures. What makes this configuration particularly smart is how it addresses the reality of dining chairs - the seat bears most of the pressure and contact during extended meals, while the backrest's sculpted wood provides adequate support without needing additional padding. The upholstered seat adds noticeable comfort for longer dinners or working sessions at the table without obscuring the chair's iconic silhouette or those characteristic flipper shapes that give The Penguin its name and body-cradling support.

At 32.28 inches high, 22.05 inches wide, and 22.4 inches deep with an 18.5-inch seat height, the proportions remain identical to other Penguin variants, ensuring consistent appearance when mixing upholstery configurations around your table. The powder-coated black steel frame provides structural stability while contributing to that visual lightness Kofod-Larsen achieved through contrasting the slender frame with the slightly oversized organic seat and back. Upholstery options include premium textiles like Re-Wool, Hallingdal, and Audo Bouclé, or leather choices in Dakar finishes, allowing you to coordinate with your dining room's color scheme while keeping the natural wood grain visible on the backrest. The curved plywood construction with foam padding on the seat creates comfort that lasts through years of daily use rather than flattening after a few months like cheaper dining chairs. The arm height at 23.35 inches provides useful resting places without preventing the chair from sliding under most dining tables.

Audo Copenhagen offers The Penguin in seat-upholstered configuration as part of their commitment to making Ib Kofod-Larsen's designs accessible for different preferences and budgets. This version sits between the fully upholstered luxury option and the entirely wood version, giving you mid-level comfort at a more approachable price point while maintaining the design's visual character. Kofod-Larsen worked somewhat under the radar during the Danish Modern golden age, focusing on how furniture actually felt to users rather than chasing recognition, which explains why his chairs remain so comfortable and relevant decades later. His exceptional understanding of materials and obsessive involvement in every production phase - drawing, sculpting, prototyping, testing - ensured The Penguin delivered on his philosophy that the most important furniture quality is how it feels to the person sitting in it. Audo Copenhagen honors that approach by maintaining construction standards and offering configuration options that let you choose the right balance of aesthetics, comfort, and practicality for your specific needs.