DESIGN ICONS: ARNE JACOBSEN

I must say, I learn a lot from writing this little Design Icons series. This one is about Arne Jacobsen, famous for this Egg/Swann/Ant chairs. But who would have thought that the little Louis Poulsen lamps (which I use a lot in my visualisations) are also designed by good old Arne? I never knew.

Today, Arne Jacobsen is primarily remembered for his furniture designs. However, he believed he was first and foremost an architect. Born in 1902 in Copenhagen, he finished the Architecture School at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in 1927. In his early days he designed some housing projects, like the Bellavista project and the Soholm Terraced houses. Later on he was commissioned with designing the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, completed in 1956, and the building of St Catherine’s College in Oxford which was completed in 1962. It was during these projects that Arne found his way into product and furniture design, through his growing interest in “Gesamtkunst” (total work of art, i.e. not only designing the building but everything in it too).

Petrol Station completed in 1936, so futuristic for that time! 

St Catherine College in Oxford, completed in 1962

Inspired by the bent plywood designs of Ray and Charles Eames, he created the Ant chair in 1951. A few years later the creation of the Egg and Swann chairs were a fact. These were designed for the Royal SAS Hotel in Copenhagen which was completed in 1956. Arne worked closely with Fritz Hansen, a carpenter who founded his  furniture company 1872. Fritz Hansen has manufactured the designs of, amongst others, Arne Jacobsen ever since. But Arne also designed some lamps, such as the AJ Desk lamp or the AJ Royal Pendant. These were, and still are, manufactured by Louis Poulsen, a Danish lighting manufacturer. I hope you will enjoy all the AJ eye candy below. Furthermore, if you want to follow this Design Icons series, please give my Facebook page a like so we can stay in touch 🙂

The Series 7 Chair via Hive Modern

The Series 7 Chair via Pinterest

The Series 7 chair by Arne Jacobsen via Adventurous Design Quest

The classic 3107 from the Series 7 family by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen

The Ant chair, designed in 1951 by Arne Jacobsen, via Eros Greatti

The Ant chair via So Furniture

The Lily chair, designed in 1970 for the Danish Central Bank

The Lily Chair via The Designer Pad

The Swan chair, designed for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen via Scandinavian Retreat

The Swan model 3320 designed by Arne Jaocbsen in 1958. Image is from Energi E2 in Denmark.

Candy colored Swans!

The elegant Egg chair, designed for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen

And another Egg in black

The Egg chair, designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1956, in a more classic decor via House to Home

AJ Royal Pendant Lamp, designed in 1960 for the SAS Royal Hotel

AJ Louis Poulsen Lamps designed in 1960 to compliment the Egg and Swann chairs

AJ Desk Lamp in white as a nightlamp in the bedroom

AJ lamps in all those lovely colors. Did you know that the hole in the foot was actually designed to hold an ashtray?

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