Few pieces of furniture have achieved the iconic status of the egg chair. Its distinctive silhouette is instantly recognizable, appearing everywhere from high-end design magazines to popular films. But behind this ubiquitous form lies a fascinating story of innovative design, material experimentation, and the enduring quest to create the perfect seat.
This article explores the origins of the egg chair, its evolution over more than six decades, and why it continues to captivate furniture enthusiasts and designers around the world.
The Birth of an Icon: Arne Jacobsen and the SAS Royal Hotel
The original egg chair was designed by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. Jacobsen was already an established architect and designer, known for his modernist buildings and earlier furniture designs including the famous Ant Chair. But the egg chair would become his most celebrated creation.
The SAS Royal Hotel was a landmark project—the first skyscraper in Copenhagen and a complete manifestation of modernist design principles. Jacobsen designed not just the building but every element within it, from the door handles to the cutlery. The hotel's lobby presented a particular challenge: how to create comfortable, private seating in a large, open, public space.
Jacobsen's solution was revolutionary. He designed a chair with a high, curved back that wrapped around the sitter like a protective shell, creating a sense of privacy and enclosure even in the middle of a busy lobby. The organic, sculptural form was a departure from the angular modernism prevalent at the time, yet it remained unmistakably modern in its clean lines and lack of ornamentation.
Design Innovation
The original egg chair's shell was made from a fibreglass-reinforced polyurethane foam covered in fabric or leather. This was revolutionary for the time—allowing organic curves that would have been impossible with traditional wood construction.
The Technical Achievement
Creating the egg chair's distinctive shape required solving significant technical challenges. Jacobsen worked closely with Fritz Hansen, a Danish furniture manufacturer, to develop manufacturing techniques that could produce the complex curved shell.
Each original egg chair was (and still is) handmade through a labour-intensive process. The shell is formed from strong polyurethane foam moulded over a fibreglass core, then upholstered by skilled craftspeople who must work the fabric or leather over the compound curves without wrinkles or distortion. The result is a seamless surface that appears almost organically grown rather than manufactured.
The tilted position and curved base were equally innovative. The chair sits at a slight recline with a swiveling base, allowing the sitter to turn toward conversation partners while remaining in a relaxed posture. This combination of sculptural beauty and ergonomic comfort was groundbreaking for its time.
From Hotel Lobby to Design Icon
While the egg chair was designed for a specific purpose in a specific building, its appeal quickly transcended that original context. The chair captured the optimistic, forward-looking spirit of the late 1950s and early 1960s—an era when modernist design was reimagining every aspect of daily life.
The egg chair appeared in exhibitions, galleries, and the homes of design-conscious consumers. Its sculptural qualities made it as much an art object as a piece of furniture. The chair's appearance in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film "A Clockwork Orange" cemented its association with futuristic, avant-garde aesthetics.
Throughout the following decades, the original Fritz Hansen egg chair maintained its status as a design classic, sought after by collectors and design enthusiasts willing to pay premium prices for authentic pieces. Vintage examples from the 1960s now command prices of $10,000-$20,000 or more at auction.
Authentic vs. Reproduction
Fritz Hansen continues to produce authorised egg chairs today, using the same handcraft techniques developed in the 1950s. These authentic chairs carry substantial price tags (starting around $8,000 AUD) but are genuine design artifacts. The countless reproductions available at lower prices vary enormously in quality.
The Evolution: Hanging and Outdoor Variations
While Jacobsen's original was a standing chair with a swivel base, the egg chair concept has evolved to include numerous variations. The most significant expansion came with the introduction of hanging egg chairs—designs that maintain the cocoon-like enclosure of the original but suspend the seat from a frame or ceiling mount.
Hanging egg chairs, sometimes called pod chairs or bubble chairs, began appearing in the 1960s, influenced by both the Jacobsen design and the era's fascination with space-age aesthetics. Finnish designer Eero Aarnio's bubble chair (1968) featured an acrylic sphere suspended from the ceiling, creating a similar sense of enclosure in a transparent form.
The outdoor egg chair is a more recent development, emerging in the early 2000s as outdoor living became increasingly important to homeowners. These chairs adapt the egg chair silhouette to weather-resistant materials like synthetic rattan and powder-coated steel, making the comfort and style accessible for patios, gardens, and balconies.
Why the Egg Chair Endures
More than six decades after its creation, the egg chair remains as popular as ever. Understanding why helps explain both the genius of Jacobsen's original design and the enduring appeal of the form.
The Psychology of Enclosure
Humans have an innate appreciation for enclosed, protective spaces—what designers call "refuge" spaces. The egg chair's high, curved back creates a sense of shelter and privacy that appeals on a deep psychological level. This feeling of being cocooned reduces stress and promotes relaxation in ways that open seating cannot match.
Sculptural Beauty
The egg chair's organic form is inherently pleasing to the eye. The curves follow what mathematicians call a "superellipse"—a shape between an ellipse and a rectangle that appears throughout nature and is instinctively attractive to humans. The chair is as beautiful empty as it is occupied, serving as sculpture even when not in use.
Ergonomic Comfort
The tilted position and curved support of the egg chair naturally accommodate the human body's preference for reclining. Unlike chairs that force upright posture, the egg chair allows a relaxed position that reduces muscle tension and promotes comfort during extended sitting.
Versatility
Despite its distinctive form, the egg chair works in remarkably diverse settings. It can be a statement piece in a minimalist modern interior, a cosy reading nook in a traditional library, or a relaxation spot on a contemporary patio. This versatility ensures continued relevance across changing design trends.
Key Takeaway
The egg chair's enduring appeal stems from a perfect combination of psychological comfort, aesthetic beauty, and physical ergonomics. Arne Jacobsen created not just a chair but a form that speaks to fundamental human needs for shelter, beauty, and comfort.
The Egg Chair Today
Today's egg chair market spans an enormous range, from museum-quality Fritz Hansen originals to budget-friendly outdoor versions. This democratisation has made the egg chair experience accessible to virtually anyone, while preserving the original's status as a collectible design artifact.
Contemporary designers continue to reinterpret the egg chair concept. Some focus on sustainable materials, others on outdoor durability, and still others on pushing the boundaries of the form itself. Yet all acknowledge their debt to Jacobsen's 1958 breakthrough—a design so fundamentally right that it has resisted improvement for over sixty years.
Whether you're sitting in an authentic Jacobsen original or a synthetic rattan hanging chair on your balcony, you're experiencing the legacy of one of the 20th century's most influential furniture designs. The egg chair isn't just comfortable seating—it's a connection to design history and a testament to the power of thoughtful, human-centred design.
Ready to find your own piece of design history? Explore our egg chair comparison tools or take our personalised quiz to find the perfect chair for your space and style.