The Egg Chair

A community resource site dedicated to Arne Jacobsen’s Egg Chairs by Fritz Hansen

Apr 5, 2008

Arne Jacobsen egg chair: details and design

Basic Details:

Arne Jacobsen, 1958

Created for the the largest hotel in Denmark at the time the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, which was owned by the airline of the same name. and became the first skyscraper in the country’s history.

When it first debuted it was called the "glass cigarbox", the steel structure remains a monument to the Modernist movement to this day. This reputation not only has to do with the buildings desings but also because of what was held within. Jacobsen’s philosophy was described as "from spoon to city" and the Egg chair and the Swan chair all the way to the door handles, cutlery and martini mixers were designed as a singular unit. Each piece an important piece of the harmonious design.

Original Egg Chairs, made by the Danish company Fritz Hansen are priced at the $5,000 + range, and sell by the thousands pushing. Cheaper reproductions, priced at anything from $600 to $2,000, have been increasing in popularity (shopping guide). Original examples from the 1950s have sold at New York auction houses for up to $70,000.

Construction + Finish:

1,300 stitches are used to add the upholstery

Shell:
Created with of polyurethane foam with glass fibre reinforcement.

Tilt mechanism:
Made of steel sheet, steel tubing and spring steel. The adjustment handle is made of polished stainless steel. This tilt feature adjusts according to the users individual weight.

Base:
Consists of a satin-polished swivel centre part of welded steel tubing (dia. 38x 2 mm), a spindle of dia. 28 mm machining steel and a 4-star base in injection moulded aluminium.

Upholstery:

Fabric-Standard fabrics for the Egg include Kvadrat Hallingdal, Tonus, Divina, Topas and Fame and Comfort

LeatherClassic leather (5 colors); Natural leather (1 color); Elegance (3 colors) and White leather
+ 50th Anniversary Egg Chair

Dimensions:
Depth: 79 (95) cm
Width: 86 cm
Height: 107 cm
Total weight: 18.1 kg

Photos:
See our photo gallery of the Egg chair in the wild.

Videos:
Some Youtube videos on Arne Jacobsen and the Egg Chair

3d Models: Sketchup + 3dmax

Manufacturers:
Looking to bring the Egg chair into your store? Here is a list of Suppliers.

Shopping:
Looking for the best stores or cheapest price? We have browsed the web for you and have a list of stores that carry the Egg chair. Check out the Shopping guide.

+ Egg t-shirt

About the Designer: Arne Jacobsen