Bel meetings

Designers
& architects

Arne Jacobsen

A functionalist architect, he graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in 1927.

Jacobsen’s name is especially linked to furniture design of global reputation, influenced by 1950s Danish Modern, initiated by the pioneer Kaare Klint. His work evokes a strong desire to speak “Viking”… The Bellavista factory-town in Klampenborg and the ovoid Texaco service station in Skovshoved established his reputation as the northern Le Corbusier. But in 1952, he made a definitive mark by creating the slender, stackable Ant Chair for a cafeteria, followed by the Seven series variants, models of aesthetic and ergonomic design.

In 1961, Jacobsen also designed the interior of the Royal Hotel, now the Radisson, which was Copenhagen’s first high-rise for SAS Airlines. This project is considered today a total work of art, as he designed everything from the structure to the door handles. The 3,300 chairs and sofas, highly orthogonal, sit alongside the highest concentration per square meter of the iconic Drop, Swan, and Egg chairs.

The curves of their organic design, like the spiral staircase, contrast with the rectilinearity of the architecture and continue to captivate admirers. Comfortable yet reassuring, they are far from seeing their swan song thanks to Fritz Hansen, the historic publisher of these timeless masterpieces.

The Bouroullec Brothers