The Egg Chair - TARANEH JERVEN

timeless design
The Egg Chair
T
The birth of organic modernism.
o grasp the genius of Danish
designer Arne Jacobsen, it helps to
realize what he was up against. The
Arts and Crafts movement, which
dominated the early 20th century, had championed time-honoured, handmade production
methods. And most mid-century modernists,
in reaction, were touting technical innovation and manufactured, hardedge design. But
Jacobsen managed to marry the nature-loving
Arts and Crafts mindset with the clean beauty
of modernism. His organic designs (both
humanistic and manufactured) began with
the Ant chair in 1952 and progressed to the
Egg chair by 1958. For the Egg, Jacobsen
worked in his home studio to mould the
perfect shell out of clay. Then he recreated
those contours with a novel technique that
used sturdy foam under upholstery. The Egg’s
instantly approachable design remains popular today—Egg chairs even grace McDonald’s
restaurants in Europe.—Taraneh Ghajar Jerven
How It Began
1932
MOMA’s
International
Exhibition of
Modern
Architecture
signals the rise of
the International
Style—a
style where
ornamentation
dropped away
and clean lines
prevailed.
1948
Eero Saarinen
strays from the
International
Style’s strict and
utilitarian forms to
create the organiclooking Womb
chair—which
features a snug,
upholstered
silhouette.
1955
Again motivated by
nature, Saarinen
designs the Tulip
chair for the
Knoll Company,
which becomes
a lasting symbol
of mid-century
modernism.
1958
Inspired by
Saarinen’s work,
Arne Jacobsen
designs the Egg
chair for the
Royal Hotel in
Copenhagen; he
took modernist
principles and
added the missing
ingredient—
human comfort.
(from $5,700).
See SOURCES
Egg Chair
The Update
This year’s Leather
Copenhagen chair
from Restoration
Hardware ($2,000 in
glove leather) comes in
a choice of materials
and feels older than
the cherry red original.
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westernliving . ca may 2011