The Perfect Piece of Furniture: The Egg Chair

When looking at the Egg Chair, it is hard to believe that its   design is almost 60 years old.  In the   course of 6 decades the chair has neither aged nor become mundane.  It still looks fresh and futuristic.  The design was created by a Danish   architect and designer, Arne Jacobsen, who is also responsible for many other   iconic furniture designs.

history

The Egg Chair was developed together with the Swan Chair in 1958   to furnish the lobby of the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Copenhagen.  The entire building, along with its   interior and furnishings, was designed by Arne Jacobsen for the Scandinavian   Airline System (SAS).  While working on   the hotel’s project, Jacobsen, who had worked as a landscape architect in the   past, pursued a “modern garden” theme.  This explains the organic, oval shape of   the chair, which should fit the concept of the building.

The Egg Chair is still available in stores and is manufactured   under the Republic of Fritz Hansen brand.    The Danish furniture company started working with Arne Jacobsen in   1934. Since then, Jacobsen has provided the company with many memorable   furniture designs, including the Ant: the Ant, the Series 7, the Grand Prix,   the Swan and of course the legendary Egg.

design

Although many people would certainly get involved in polemics with   the questionable appeal of the hotel as a structure, the design of the Egg   Chair leaves no room for such a discussion.    With its oval, futuristic shape, the chair is guaranteed to take a top   spot in the list of the most iconic furniture designs of the 20th   century.  Rumor has it that Jacobsen   was inspired by Eero Saarinen’s “Womb Chair”.    On closer inspection of the two chairs, however, the alleged   similarity is disputed.  The shape of   the Egg Chair with its famous slender curves has gained worldwide recognition   and has been praised by many design critics.

The oval shell is made of a reinforced fiberglass composite that   curves around the person sitting in it and gives the chair its famous cozy,   intimate feeling.  The shell is padded   with cold-hardened foam, which is a little thicker in the area of ??the   headrest, in order to increase the comfort of the chair.  It is either upholstered in a variety of   fabrics or leather.  The front part of   the upholstery is glued to the upholstery of the chair to reduce seams, folds   and wrinkles.  The back part is pulled   firmly against the shell, which stretches the fabric (or leather) and makes   it look very smooth.  In the case of   the leather variant, the considerable size of the egg chair requires the use   of two cowhide leathers that must be sewn together on the sides of the   chair.  The type of seams used in   making the Egg Chair out of leather make the seam line wavy, which is very   characteristic of this design.  The   first models of the Egg Chair did not have a seat pad.  This feature was added later to make the   chair more comfortable.  The egg stands   on a four-legged base and rotates according to the mood of its owner.  The base is made of polished aluminum,   which is mounted on a satined steel base.    A serial number is engraved on one of the prongs proving the   authenticity of the chair.  During the   making of the egg, some of the chairs were fitted with a reclining mechanism,   with the steel handle sticking out of the side of the chair.  It is used to adjust the pressure required   to lean the chair backwards.

In summary, the Egg Chair is a truly iconic piece of furniture   that is always fun.  Its innovative,   futuristic design, combined with the impeccable quality of craftsmanship, has   given the chair a very special place in the history of interior   design.