Egg Chair: The Offspring of Danish Modern Style of Design


Of all the modern styles of furniture in the 20th century, probably only a handful would so distinctive as that of the Danish Modern style. Highly popular in the 1940’s up to the late 60’s, the Danish Modern is a vintage style that incorporates light materials, preferably wood, and minimalism in the design. Like its name implies, the Danish Modern style bases its origins in Denmark, and was part of the Danish design movement of the mid-20th century. During its peak, Danish Modern style of furniture design has given birth to a lot of chairs, tables and other furnishings, such as the Egg Chair and the Westermann’s Fireside Chair for example, that were both simple and pleasing to eye.

A fine example of Danish Modern style in furniture is the world-famous Egg Chair. Designed by the Finnish architect and furniture designer Arne Jacobsen, the Egg Chair is a rounded chair made of molded plaster and leather. The chair was originally commissioned in 1958 as furnishings for the lobby and reception area of the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, and was manufactured by the renowned Fritz Hansen Company.

Made in the typical style of Arne Jacobsen aesthetics, the Egg Chair was described as to have no limits onto what boundaries the design could surpass. Also, it was made with and using technological innovations that were revolutionary for its time. This mantra continues to this day, as modern reproductions of the Egg chair are composed of a hard synthetic shell, cold foam, and aluminum.

Although the Egg Chair is considered to be an original design, it was said to be inspired by the “Womb Chair” design by Finnish-American designer Eero Saarinens. Saarinens’ design for the Womb Chair and Jacobsen’s Egg Chair has shown to have several similarities, although many point out that the Egg Chair has a more complete look. The chair is also related to Jacobsen’s earlier works, including the Swan Chair, the Grand Prix chair, the Ant, the Pot, and the 7 chair. The Egg’s design is also been modified into a couch version, although this variation was more difficult to fabricate than the chair and in turn more expensive.

Despite its age of nearly 50 years, the Egg Chair is still a well-loved Danish Modern design that is being utilized in both the private and public sector. The Chair has also recently surged in popularity due to its use in McDonald’s restaurants in London and Nørrebrogade, Copenhagen.