Danish Ethos: Jacobsen Egg Chair

By Justin, on September 19th, 2012

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.

Leather egg chairs

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.

Egg Chairs

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

The Birth of an Egg

All images: Republic of Fritz Hansen

One comment   Arne Jacobsen, Special Features    

Jacobsen Egg Chair: Art in Art

By Justin, on July 27th, 2011

We stumbled across this original painting of a blue Jacobsen Egg Chair on Art and Home by Jon Peters. Cool to see art depicting art:

I just wished we carried Jacobsen Egg Chairs in this color!

 

 

Leave a comment   Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen, Jacobsen Egg Chair   , ,  

Authentic Egg Chair: How To Tell It’s Not a Fake

By Justin, on July 19th, 2011

So you think you found a great deal on a Jacobsen Egg Chair? Think again. If the price is too good to be true, chances are the chair is not good enough to be true.

There are a lot of counterfeit Jacobsen Egg Chairs out there. Luckily, the Republic of Fritz Hansen has made it relatively easy to tell fake Egg Chairs from authentic Jacobsen Egg Chairs. If you ever find a fake one, be sure to email Fritz Hansen at: counterfeit@fritzhansen.com

Here are a few things to look out for:

The Obvious

Sometimes you’ll know immediately it’s a fake. The authentic Egg Chair is sleek, contoured and flawless. The base should have four prongs. No more. No less. Unfortunately the vast majority of knock-offs are only available online, and disreputable shops use legitimate images to advertise their counterfeit Egg Chairs.

So if you buy online and you’re suspicious of a fake, insist that they send images of all the below features, or just avoid the trouble altogether, and buy an authentic Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair.

Label

Republic of Fritz Hansen products (including the Egg Chair) manufactured after 2006 features a label as a sign of authenticity. Egg Chairs produced before 2010 have a red tag, while those produced after 2010 feature a brown tag. Look for the Republic of Fritz Hansen logo, as well as the year of manufacture.

Brown Fritz Hansen Label

If you don’t see a label, remember that it could be an older model. So look under the base; if it’s a real Egg Chair, you should find a serial number and name there.

Stitching

The craftsmanship of an Egg Chair is impeccable. There should be no folds, no creases, no wrinkles. There should be no joins or stitching on the front of the chair, except for on the seat pad. Try pinching the chair. If you can pinch any fabric, it’s not a real Egg Chair.

Also examine the nature of the stitching along the sides of the Egg Chair. Look for a “wave effect.”

Wave stitching on the Egg Chair

If it’s a Leather Egg Chair, there should only be two pieces of leather joined at the sides. If you see any other stitches = fake.

Leather Egg Chairs

Recliner / Rotation

Cheap knock-offs don’t have the recliner lever on the underside of the Egg Chair. Even if it has one, check to make sure you can control exactly how much you want to recline. Real Egg Chairs give you precise control over how much you want to recline (you can see the recliner lever in the image above, lower left).

Also make sure you can rotate 360-degrees smoothly and completely.

Dimensions

Take out the tape measure and make sure they match these specifications:

Total height: 107 cm (42.1 in)
Seat height: 37cm (14.6 in)
Width: 86 cm (33.9 in)
Depth – Upright: 79 cm (31.1 in)
Depth – Reclined: 95 cm (37.4 in)

Again the best way to avoid getting burned, is to buy a certified authentic Jacobsen Egg Chair.

Thank you Findmetheoriginal.com for their insightful video:

5 comments   Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen, Jacobsen Egg Chair   , , ,  

Monday Morsel: Jacobsen Egg Chair

By Justin, on June 27th, 2011

Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair - Black Leather

Here’s a great photo we found at The North Elevation. The origin of the project / photo is unknown, so if you know, leave a message here and we’ll pass it on to Modern Love’s blog.

Ha … I just noticed the leopard in the background. They must not have wanted it to destroy the Egg Chair.

Find this Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair at Danish Design Store.

Leave a comment   Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen, Jacobsen Egg Chair   , ,  

Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair Video

By Justin, on June 15th, 2011

We don’t really speak French, but this is a cool video of the Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair. It sort of makes you feel like you’re a Danish gnat or something, coming in for a landing on a massive blue runway.

Leave a comment   Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen, Jacobsen Egg Chair   , , ,