Modern Icons: The Swan Chair
Take Arne Jacobsen's 1958 Curvalicious Design for a Spin
The Swan Chair was designed by Arne Jacobson in 1958, originally for the lounge, lobby and suites in the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. Jacobsen partnered with Fritz Hansen for manufacturing, and they still produce the chair in Denmark today. This curvy chair envelops the body and swivels on a chrome base so you can spin around until you are dizzy. Yes, Jacobsen had people spinning around in hotel lobbies long before Ian Schrager burst onto the hotel scene!
As a bonus for those who want more Swan: A two-seat non-spinning version is available in the Swan Sofa.
As a bonus for those who want more Swan: A two-seat non-spinning version is available in the Swan Sofa.
This is a great example of how the scale of the Swan Chair makes it the right occasional chair in a room that already has enough large upholstered pieces.
Here's another good example of the Swan Chair in action as the perfect occasional chair. Its scale also makes it just the right amount of accent color, in this case, a robin's egg blue that picks up on a throw pillow across the room.
Swan Chair | DWR
Red Swans gracefully dot this white atrium. This image looks a bit like one of those Dexter-inspired showhouses that Showtime sponsors.
Here a brown leather Swan chair adds vintage modern style to a home office.
This bright green Swan Chair is part of a modern ensemble, including a pair of Bubble Chairs.
The Swan Chair is so adaptable that this designer used it as an accent piece in a bathroom.
In peachy orange, this chair adds some curves and color to this urbane and otherwise neutral room.
Swan Chairs are a talented interior photographer's dream. Look at how David Churchill has used its curves in the bottom left foreground to compose a stellar shot!
Here is the sofa version of the Swan. It doesn't swivel, but it is nice and cozy for two.
Arne Jacobsen Swan Sofa
In the U.S., you can find the Swan at licensed retailers like Design Within Reach and Hivemodern.com.