Arne Jacobsen’s Furniture Designs | Interior Design
Today, Scandinavian chic with its simple, clean forms and a focus on functionality is well known. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, a wholly different style was the pinnacle of good taste – think Art Nouveau. In that sense, the fact that even as a child, Arne Jacbosen preferred simple white walls over the floral standard of his time, speaks of his visionary qualities.
Arne Jacobsen held on to his love of clean Bauhaus forms beyond his childhood – besides the designs of Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Bauhaus was one of the main influences on developing his design language. Jacobsen’s architectural style, in particular, has a reduced, functional, clean, almost austere language. Jacobsen designed public buildings such as city halls, schools, the Royal SAS Hotel in Copenhagen as well as the central bank in Kuwait.
As an architect, his focus is not only on the outside of the building, he also considers their furnishing. His first furniture designs are pieces made from metal, which he creates when designing the ‘house of the future’ in Copenhagen.
Contrasting his architectural style, his furniture design is much more organic and curvaceous, reminiscent of abstract art of the time on the one hand, and of the eponymous animals and plants on the other – Jacobsen’s life-long love of nature and botany surely is no coincidence.
The Egg Chair and the Swan demonstrate Arne Jacobsen’s preference for organic shapes. Here the special edition on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of these two furniture icons
Arne Jacbosen in his garden in 1957
His groundbreaking designs are recognized internationally during his lifetime, he is awarded a great number of prestigious prizes and recognitions.
His professorship for architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Art allows Jacobsen to share his unusual understanding of the interplay between architecture and interior design, impacting the style of generations to follow.
A certain love of detail and an aspiration to design Gesamtkunstwerke led Jacobsen to going as far as designing tea spoons (maybe you remember Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ – the cutlery used is from Jacobsen’s AJ series) – however, his seating furniture and lamps are some of his most groundbreaking pieces.
One of his most well-known designs is the 7 Series for Fritz Hansen, whose curved shapes are popular worldwide and are among the most sold designer chairs ever, thanks to their timeless design and comfort.
What started as a simple, stackable chair made of laminated veneer lumber, has developed into a variety of models: with or without armrests, fully upholstered with textiles or leather, a convenient model on wheels for the office, a barstool or the mini version for kids – countless uses make the 7 Series a comfortable companion for many life situations.
Production of the world-renowned Arne Jacobsen designs at furniture manufacturer Fritz Hansen in 1963
This image shows the step in the production process, during which the seven wooden layers on the inside of the 7 Series are put together
An attractive aspect of the 7 Series are the designer cooperations, which Fritz Hansen regularly initiates with big names in design. These designers then create exclusive color palettes, which the classic ash veneer is stained or lacquered with, resulting in refreshing updates of a classic – and possibly an interesting addition to collectors’ collections, given the limited nature of these cooperations.
The current color palette is created by Carla Sozzani, a Milanese gallerist, design curator and style icon. “Color is as essential to me as nature!”, Sozzani proclaims in her interview with Architectural Digest, referring to her color palette for the 7 Series, and the indirect connection between water and the sky, the changing nuances of waves, sand, and clouds – after all, but Denmark and Italy are surrounded by water.
The importance of sensory impressions in her work is underlined by its name, A sense of Color, just as much as by the way she names colors in her collection: Paradise Orange, Wild Rose, and Lavender Blue take us from our living room to a walk on the Italian Riviera.
Grand Prix Chairs in the color True Yellow
Chairs from the 7 Series in the colors Lavender Blue and Dusk Blue
In that sense, we can only agree with Carla Sozzani, when she says that the design of the 7 Series is so organic that it seems alive, almost human – whichever color we clothe the 7 Series in, it seems to take on that particular aura.
We are very happy to be able to offer the 7 Series in the 16 colors designed by Carla Sozzani. The following colors are available:
Seat: Pale Rose, Wild Rose, Paradise Orange, Venetian Red, True Yellow, Burnt Yellow, Lavender Blue, Dusk Blue, Olive Green, Evergreen, Light Beige, Deep Clay, White, Nine Grey, Midnight Blue, Black
Frame: Chrome, Silver Grey, White, Warm Graphite, Nine Grey, Brown Bronze, Black
Are you curious to learn more? We will be happy to guide you on Arne Jacobsen’s furniture classics in our showroom in Munich-Schwabing, in our apartment or virtually with the help of samples. We are looking forward to your inquiry.
