In the Echo of Arne Jacobsen

In Copenhagen, Denmark, a high-rise of meaningful existence demands unquestionable attention. Marked as one of the world's first design hotels, the Royal Hotel (now Radisson Blu Royal Hotel) is far from conventional. It is a living museum showcasing an entire era based on Arne Jacobsen's impressive and impactful work as a designer and architect. A building often considered as the designer's absolute masterpiece.

The hotel is an up-close and site-specific tribute marking the 60th anniversary of the opening of the hotel. An ode to Jacobsen's architectural landmarks, defining style, and essential work as a visionary whose achievements still shape today's design.

Opened in 1960, the hotel has recently gone through a complete redevelopment, yet one room numbered 606 has been carefully preserved identically to the original commission. When entering the room, you immediately experience a microcosm, a condensed version of the whole building itself. This is the perfect place to trace and delve deeper into the underlying themes of Jacobsen's industrious career as a modernistic idealist.

It is said that Arne Jacobsen (1902—1971) painted over the Victorian wallpaper in his bedroom. Young Arne did not cover his walls with typical childish drawings — he decided to paint his room entirely white. It may seem typical today, but in the early twentieth century, white walls were not yet in fashion.

For more than half of the twentieth century, Arne Jacobsen's ideas shaped the landscape of Danish design, rippling out from Scandinavia to influence architects and designers worldwide. His unquenchable need to create led him to direct projects ranging from complex buildings such as town halls, schools, and residences, to particular challenges as humble as a one-of-a-kind teaspoon for his cutlery set.

As a student in 1925, Jacobsen participated in the Paris Art Deco fair, where he won a silver medal for a chair design. During that trip, he was struck by the pioneering aesthetic of Le Corbusier's contribution, the "L'Esprit Nouveau" pavilion. Before leaving the Academy, Jacobsen traveled to Germany, where he became acquainted with Bauhaus design, the rationalist architecture of Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius. These idealists influenced Arne Jacobsen's early designs, including his graduation project, an art gallery that won him a gold medal. In 1929, in collaboration with Flemming Lassen, he won a Danish Architect's Association competition for designing the "House of the Future," which was built full scale at the subsequent exhibition. It was a spiral-shaped, flat-roofed house in glass and concrete, incorporating a private garage, a boathouse and a helicopter pad. Other striking features were windows that rolled down like car windows, a conveyor tube for the mail, and a kitchen stocked with ready-made meals. Jacobsen immediately became recognized as an ultra-modern architect.

With the onset of WWII and Germany's occupation of Denmark, Arne Jacobsen sought to flee for more neutral Sweden, where he met Alvar Aalto, who helped Jacobsen to continue his business in Copenhagen until his return after the war. The European countries were in dire need of rebuilding after the war. Once again, designers turned toward modernist design. However, in reaction to the rationality and uniformity of the previous "modernism" and the culture which embraced these ideals, a new interest in more organic and softer forms emerged.

The softer forms and materials fit well with more traditional Danish aesthetics shared by the architect. Jacobsen's creative process centered on his strict consideration of detail. He was one of the first designers to introduce modernist ideas and functionalist approaches and philosophies to Denmark. As such, he became increasingly interested in designing the furniture and fixtures within his buildings, using the organic shapes he loved.

From 1932, Arne designed a series of chairs recognized today as milestones in the development of modern furniture, namely "The Ant" (1951), "The Egg" (1957), and "The Swann" (1957).

Although much of his furniture found commercial success, the pieces had been initially designed for smaller projects. A perfect example of this is "The Ant" chair. It began as a project to develop a cafeteria for a large medical company. Inspired by Charles and Ray Eames' experiments with bentwood chairs, Arne Jacobsen designed a three-legged chair formed from thin laminated sheets of plywood. It was an inexpensive stackable and lightweight chair that was also compact yet sturdy and able to fit with a round table. It quickly became known as "The Ant" chair for its uniquely shaped back — and it sold millions worldwide.

With the first chair's success, several bentwood chairs and teak topped tables soon ensued. Number 3603, was an egg-shaped table that paired well with the chair. Number 3607, a curious chair model, bore the shape of or a curved tongue — and hence was named the "Tongue" chair. Series 7 debuted in 1955, which were variations of the first chair, including arms, different bases, wheels, and different backs, the most popular of which features an hourglass shape.

All of these pieces fared well on the market due to the fundamental requirements of the initial project: a small, lightweight, durable chair that was both comfortable and affordable.

The next big step in Arne Jacobsen's career came from the commission to design every element of the hotel's building and furniture. It was Jacobsen's grand opportunity to put his theories of integrated design and architecture into practice. Outside, it was described as "two cigarette packs placed perpendicular to each other." However, the interior was less severe. A chair such as the iconic "The Egg" was designed specifically for the lobby and reception areas and is one of Jacobsen's inclusive design's absolute triumphs — a sculptural contrast to the building's almost exclusively vertical and horizontal surfaces. "The Egg" was born out of a new technique, which Arne Jacobsen was the first to use, a durable foam inner shell underneath the upholstery. Like a sculptor, Jacobsen strove to find the shell's perfect shape in clay. Because of this unique approach, "The Egg" guarantees a bit of privacy in otherwise public spaces. "The Drop" and "The Swan" were also designed for this project, lending an organic, softer feel to the interior.

His designs for the interior even continued down to the smaller details. The door handles feature a comfortable propeller-shaped grip, which is often copied or modified even today for its ergonomic design. The restaurant's glassware and condiment jars were designed to be reminiscent of the curves and proportions of the furniture, with generous organic curvature. Even the flatware set was designed specifically for the hotel. Looking as though they were stamped from a single sheet of metal, and only given the slightest curves necessary, the flatware featured wide yet thin handles.

Ironically, throughout the sixties and the rest of his career, Arne Jacobsen continued his reductionist aesthetic towards more simplified geometric and streamlined shapes. The very objection he had raised several years before Bauhaus. Although his architectural designs are still of great importance and can be seen today, his contributions to furniture and industrial design are what he is most remembered for. The traditional Scandinavian design, combined with sculptural shapes, depicts Jacobsen's work is timeless and still in strong demand.

Words & Art Direction by Magnus Høst

All images by Lukas Morio

Special thanks to
the Radisson Blu Hotel in Copenhagen,
for their contribution to this article.

Visit their website to book a room:
www.radissonhotels.com