He assumed a teaching post upon his graduation in 1956. He later worked as a designer for manufacturers Ejvind Kold Christiansen, and Hellerup. Although a contemporary of Finn Juhl and Arne Jacobsen, Kjaerholm's furniture shares more in common with the machine aesthetic of the Bauhaus than the likelier idiom of Scandinavian Modern design, as practiced by his colleagues.

Had he so desired, he might have used his training to create exotic, exclusive pieces. However, guided by an "awareness of materials", Kjaerholm instead designed elegant, reductivist furniture noteworthy for its structural clarity, and always with an aim towards economical mass productionæa core concept of his design philosophy. To achieve this goal, Kjaerholm made extensive use of steel frames, simply combined with seats made from contrasting materials such as wicker, leather, or rope. His PK 22 chair, for instance, consists of only 3 pieces: the frame, support brackets, and wicker seat. Page 2 >