Designer Bites | Arne Jacobsen

Most of us design lovers know the AJ Lamp, the Egg Chair and the Swan by the prolific Danish designer, Arne Jacobson, but did you know that he was also a well respected architect?

Many of the buildings that he designed, such as the SAS Royal Hotel & Terminal, Copenhagen (now the Raddison Blu) benefited from his skills as a furniture and lighting designer. It was his hands on approach and vision that led him to design everything, from the door nobs to these iconic designs. Notably The Egg and Swan were designed specifically for this hotel project.

In his youth, he dreamed of becoming a painter, however lucky for us, his parents encouraged him into the more secure future of architecture. Jacobsen was admitted to the Architecture School at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and from1924 to 1927, he studied under Kay Fisker and Kaj Gottlob, both leading architects and designers of their time.

Things began to take off for him in 1929 after winning a Danish Architect’s Association competition for the “House of the Future”. This glass and concrete spiral-shaped, flat-roofed house had an internal garage, roll-down windows, helipad, and even a conveyer belt for the mail. From that point forward, he was synonymous with modern design. Little did they know at the time, how modern it really was, as in these detailed sketches, you can see what would have to be the first flat screen TV!

Of course he went on to design many important architectural landmarks and residences in Denmark today. The Bellevue Theatre with a retractable roof and Bellevue Beach, with the recognizable blue and white lifeguard towers along with many more.

There were also the residences such as the Søholm I terraced houses, where he lived in one and remained until his death in 1971. Rothenborg House where worked with the owners extensively on a complete package, designing the home both architecturally along with furnishing it. Jacobsen’s work on Rothenborg was known to be his breakthrough and the press compared him to Le Corbusier. You can view more of his architecture here (in Danish but with images).

From architecture to interiors, furniture, lighting and tableware, there are few designers that have had such an impact on the modern world and if not more relevant and coveted today.

Mel x

P.S. The Royal Raddison Blu in Copenhagen has preserved Jacobsen’s history and you can actually stay in a room like the above. Could you imagine! I know where I’ll be staying in Denmark.