Arne Jacobsen He was already a prestigious architect and designer when he was commissioned to design the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. It was one of the first skyscrapers in Denmark and a perfect example of how Jacobsen dominated every step of the architectural process, from the broadest lines to the smallest details. But he was not only in charge of designing this monumental building, but almost everything in it: furniture, lighting, signage, textiles, and even cutlery and glassware. This is how the Egg armchair in 1958 for the hotel lobby.

One-piece structure

Its main feature is the shape curve egg shaped one single piece, that integrates seat, backrest and arms. The Egg chair is made using a special technique called “cold molding”. In this process, the steel frame is cast by hand using a Polyurethane foam high density. It is then covered in a layer of soft polyurethane foam and upholstered in high-quality fabric or leather.

Su structure is mounted on a stainless steel swivel base, which allows the chair to rotate 360 degrees. This characteristic allows it to have a slight swing, and makes it versatile and functional, since it can be placed in different positions and angles according to user preferences.

limited production

The company in charge of manufacturing it to this day is the famous furniture publisher Fritz Hansen. It has never been mass produced, as its concave and convex shapes make its upholstery is manual and very complex, hence its high price. As of today, production does not exceed 10 copies per week.

Although there are very few copies of the original, which reach high prices on the market, currently the Scandinavian firm Fritz Hansen owns the exploitation rights of the design, producing and marketing it from the 6.800€ approximately, depending on the upholstery.

A contemporary icon

At first it did not have the popularity of other Mid Century designs, given its high price, but it soon became a danish Design Icon, of modern elegance and status. could not miss executive offices, prestigious hotels and design houses. From there she made the leap to the small and big screen inspiring television commercials and being worn by actors such as George Lazenby (James Bond). We can also recognize her in movies like Zoolander (up), Men in Black, the danish series The Bridge or the video clip of the Beatles Help!

The father of Danish design

Arne Jacobsen born in Copenhagen in 1902, was a Danish architect and industrial designer, who revolutionized industrial design above all with his timeless curved seats. After studying four years in a construction school, he entered the architecture facuilty from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, where he graduated in 1927. He later created his own studio in Hellerup to work independently on architecture and interior design.

Arne Jacobsen was a very difficult man to work with, sarcastic and demanding that even forced its employees to work 24 hours a day instead of caring for their families. Despite his peculiarities, Jacobsen was a balanced person who liked to paint, study nature and had a great sense of humor. 

Room 606 (remodeled) and former lobby of the SAS Royal Hotel, now the Radisson Collection Royal Hotel

His influences were Le Corbusier, Gunnar Asplund, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. He was a pioneer of modern design in Denmark, with his work "The House of the future" designed together with Fleming Lassen in 1929.

Many of the pieces of furniture designed by Jacobsen have become classics, among them the Retro American Ant from 1951 and chairs Swan, designed for the SAS hotel, like the armchair Egg, or the model chair 3107 de 1955, also called "Chair Number 7", of which more than 5 million units were sold.

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Photos: Fritz Hansen