Aria Journal:
Arne Jacobsen’s career spanned over half of the 20th Century, shaping the landscape of Danish design, with a vast portfolio of work encompassing architecture, interiors and industrial design. The Series 7 and Ant Chair remain some of the most celebrated designs around the world to this day.
The Early Years
With a rebellious spirit, Arne Jacobsen’s visionary design ideas began from an early age. It is said that as a child growing up in Copenhagen, he painted over the Victorian-era ornate wallpaper in his bedroom with white paint, perhaps the first sign he would go on to become a pioneer of Danish Modernism.
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SAS Hotel, Copenhagen
In 1956 Arne Jacobsen was invited by Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS) to create ‘the world’s first design hotel’; the 22-storey hotel, located in the centre of Copenhagen, is widely considered to be the pinnacle masterpiece of Jacobsen’s career.
Some of Arne Jacobsen's most iconic designs, including the Swan™ Chair, were developed specifically for the SAS Hotel. They remain some of the most sought-after chairs in the history of design. Room 606 - The Arne Jacobsen Suite, is the only room left untouched after decades of renovation and is still available for bookings.
St Catherine’s College
Striking a balance between innovation and tradition, Jacobsen designed St Catherine’s College on Oxford University’s campus, in 1957. Still open to visitors, the unified building set the standard for colleges worldwide.
Defined by modernist codes of restraint, the architecture and its interior were designed with the minimum number of elements and materials. The structure of modules and repetitions drew inspiration from Mies van der Rohe, with a new Scandinavian sensibility.
The buildings and interior architecture have been carefully preserved since the college opened in 1963, with the entire area receiving a Grade I listing, the UK’s highest protection level.
