“If you cannot create functional furniture then you had better turn your hand to something else.” These are the famous words of one of the most visionary designers of Europe's furniture trade. He was born in 1936 in the town of Vivild. This small town in Denmark had great plans for young Niels. In 1956, after years of mainstream schooling, he began to undertake training in the art of cabinet making. In a space of five years, he graduates from the prestigious Copenhagen College of arts and crafts in 1961. After a few years of testing waters, he was hired by a professor and architect Arne Jacobsen in 1966. The capability to keep on strive until a work is completed is a skill he learnt when he was a part of Arne Jacobsen's design studio. He spent five whole years here. He absorbed all that he could which concerned furniture design, proportioning and interior decorating. Even today, Arne Jacobsen is one of his most revered idols.

After proving his mettle, he earned a scholarship in 1969 from the Danish National Bank's jubilee foundation. Using his experience, he starts design studio in Copenhagen at the age of thirty five. But he did not keep this experience to himself. In two years, he started teaching at Denmark's design school at Copenhagen where, eleven years later, he would win a scholarship from the Danish Arts Foundation. His first piece of furniture was a table conceived by him in 1986. It was a table named after him in honor and it was well received. Later the same year, he won the ID prize for the design. This earned him another scholarship from the Danish Arts Foundation the very next year. He went on a winning streak by being awarded the ID prize in 1987 for the futuristic X line chair. This once again helped him win a scholarship from the Danish National Bank's jubilee foundation.

In the year 1988, he won the first prize at the Danish Forest Association's furniture contest. His winning streak continued as he went on to win the Danish Furniture Industries' Design prize the next year. 1990 saw him win a scholarship from the prestigious Non Nobis foundation. At this point of time, he slowed down his work to take a break for his family. In 1996, he received the Danish Furniture award. But the crowning achievement of his distinguished career came when he was awarded the lifelong Artist's Grant by the Danish State Art Fund. His work has been displayed in the Danish Museum of applied art, the Louisiana modern art museum, the Stendelijk organization, The Louvre museum in Paris, the Munich and Trapholt modern art museums and the museum of modern art in New York.

This genuine attitude mentioned in the beginning come from one of Danish design's biggest icons and abide an example to the high values that Niels Jørgen Haugesen applies to the high quality finishes of his furniture pieces. There is little or no doubt at that he does live up to these rigorous standards, however. The international furniture company GETAMA has produced furniture designed by Niels Jørgen Haugesen since 2008.