A Visual History of Arne Jacobsen’s Midcentury Designs

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Presented by  Fritz-Hansen_Alwaysmod

In celebration of AlwaysMod‘s upcoming visit from Fritz Hansen and the recent rerelease of Arne Jacobsen’s Drop chair (pictured above), we’re looking back on some of Jacobsen’s classic designs and showcasing the craftsmanship that goes into producing these sleek furniture lines.

About the Event

AlwaysMod Fritz Hansen Designer Event & Cocktail Reception
October 20, 5 – 7 p.m.
905 Decatur Ave N, Golden Valley, MN 55427

Meet leading Danish modern home furnishings designer Fritz Hansen’s VP of Sales for North & South America, Henrik Hjorth and Area Sales Manager, North America East Coast, Adrian Pollack. Henrik will give a brief presentation on the history and brand of Fritz Hansen at 5:45 p.m. Both Fritz Hansen experts will be available for a meet and greet and to share information on the products and celebrate the Series 7 60th anniversary! Register at the event for a chance to win an Arne Jacobsen white Drop chair! (Value $468) Refreshments provided.

RSVP online at alwaysmod.com

The History of Fritz Hansen

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Founded in 1872 in Denmark, Fritz Hansen is one of the world’s most recognizable producers of iconic furniture for public and private spaces. The company’s history is characterized by meticulous craftsmanship, unique design, and a sense of understated elegance. Leading architects and furniture designers from all over the world have produced timeless furniture for the company’s collection, which embraces innovative techniques and new materials. Contributors include legendary designers such as Arne Jacobsen, Poul Kjaerholm, Bruno Mathsson, Piet Hein, and Piero Lissoni as well as young innovators like Kasper Salto, Jaime Hayon, and Todd Bracher.

Today, Fritz Hansen furniture is embraced by a range of global consumers from city dwellers to business executives who celebrate the company’s ability to enlighten and delight with design. Fritz Hansen products can be seen around the world in residences and high-profile corporations, luxury hotels and art centers including the famed SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

Arne Jacobsen’s Collaboration with Fritz Hansen

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Arne Jacobsen was both an architect and a designer who created furniture to decorate the buildings he designed. The Egg and Swan chairs are among his most famous masterpieces, both of which he designed specifically for his own modernist and stunning Hotel Royal in Copenhagen. The two classics are textbook examples of how Fritz Hansen and Jacobsen challenged and inspired each other, always keeping simplicity and perfection in view.

Gardening as Inspiration

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Jacobsen was profoundly inspired by the world of plants, and the garden that he cultivated behind his house was the center of his creative universe. Established in 1950, the garden served as a design laboratory where Jacobsen experimented with colors and textures, and drew lessons for his work.

The Egg Chair

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Arne Jacobsen designed the Egg™ for the lobby and reception areas in the Royal Hotel, in Copenhagen. The commission to design every element of the hotel building as well as the furniture was Jacobsen’s grand opportunity to put his theories of integrated design and architecture into practice. The Egg is one of the triumphs of Jacobsen’s total design—a sculptural contrast to the building’s almost exclusively vertical and horizontal surfaces. The Egg sprang from a new technique, which Jacobsen was the first to use; a strong foam inner shell underneath the upholstery. Like a sculptor, Jacobsen strove to find the shell’s perfect shape in clay at home in his own garage. Because of the unique shape, the Egg guarantees a bit of privacy in otherwise public spaces and the Egg—with or without footstool—is ideal for lounge and waiting areas as well as the home.

Arne Jacobson Egg Chair production

The Swan Chair

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Arne Jacobsen designed the Swan™ as well as the Egg™ for the lobby and lounge areas at the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, in 1958. The commission to design every element of the hotel building as well as the furniture was Jacobsen’s grand opportunity to put his theories of integrated design and architecture into practice. In 1958 the Swan was a technologically innovative chair: No straight lines—only curves. A moulded shell of synthetic material on an aluminium star swivel base, with a layer of cold foam covering the shell upholstered in fabric or leather. These two original designer chairs originated in Jacobsen’s own garage in his home in Klampenborg, north of Copenhagen and have been in production at Fritz Hansen ever since.

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Series 7 Chair

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The Series 7 ™ designed by Arne Jacobsen is by far the most sold chair in the history of Fritz Hansen and perhaps also in furniture history. The pressure moulded veneer chair is a further development of the classic Ant™ chair. The four-legged stackable chair represents the culmination of the lamination technique. The visionary Arne Jacobsen exploited the possibilities of lamination to perfection resulting in the iconic shape of the chair. Series 7™ represents the chair in the Fritz Hansen collection with the widest range of applications.

The 60th Anniversary Edition of the Series 7 is inspired by the notion that ‘opposites attract’, a key theme in interior design right now. The 60th Anniversary Edition of the Series 7 chair is all about contrast—in materials and colors. While the deep dark blue and the pale pink may contrast each other, they also interact to create a calm and elegant look, attracting and complementing one another. To mark the 60th anniversary of this iconic chair, each chair has a golden plate mounted on the underside of the shell.

Learn more about Arne Jacobsen’s work with Fritz Hansen at AlwaysMod’s upcoming event:

AlwaysMod Fritz Hansen Designer Event  & Cocktail Reception
October 20, 5 – 7 p.m.
905 Decatur Ave N, Golden Valley, MN 55427
alwaysmod.com

Presented by AlwaysMod and Fritz Hansen
Photos courtesy of Fritz Hansen

 

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