Danish Ethos: Jacobsen Egg Chair

As mentioned yesterday, we’ve been pondering this great question from Paper Planes Design:

“What piece of Danish designed furniture do you think really epitomizes the Danish design ethos?”

Today: the Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair and why it’s quintessential Danish design.

Innovation

When Jacobsen unveiled the Egg Chair as part of the grand design for the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, nothing like it had ever been seen before. The Egg was an opportunity for Jacobsen to integrate architectural functionalism into the total design of the hotel: the elegant curves of the chair contrasted the almost exclusively vertical and horizontal surfaces of the building.

Also, to create the chair’s unique shape, Jacobsen was the first use a strong foam inner shell underneath the upholstery to maintain structural integrity without sacrificing comfort. He toiled in his garage, molding prototypes with clay until he had just the right design.

Form and Function

The Egg Chair’s unmistakable silhouette isn’t just a design whim. The deep sides and 360-degree swivel afford privacy in otherwise public areas, making the Egg ideal for public spaces. Not to mention incredibly comfortable.

Unrivaled Quality

The craftsmanship of an Egg Chair is impeccable. There are no folds, no creases, no wrinkles. There are no joins or stitching on the front of the chair, except for on the seat pad. The leather or fabric is so exact, you most definitely can’t pinch an inch with this chair.

There are a lot of counterfeits out there (RELATED: Authentic Egg Chair – How to tell it’s not a fake), so if you’re in the market for one, be sure it’s a Republic of Fritz Hansen original.

Purchase

• In stock and ready to ship: Jacobsen Egg Chair

The Birth of an Egg

All images: Republic of Fritz Hansen