The unknown design classic that invites you to relax: Arne Jacobsen's Paris Chair

St. George Care -spa echoes with the sound of rippling pool water. The harmonious lounge space has four rattan chairs in which spa guests can relax, perhaps while enjoying a cup of tea or a glass of champagne. 

– Sometimes people just sit here with their eyes closed, says Linda Ekholm, Head of Wellbeing Experiences at Hotel St. George. 

Few guests would guess that they are in fact reclining on a chair designed by the legendary Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen – the very first design of his career, in fact.

Today, Jacobsen is especially famed for the Egg and Swan chairs he designed for the SAS Royal Hotel.

The chair of the future

Jacobsen, who had just graduated, originally designed the rattan chair for an international art and design exhibition organised in Paris in 1925. The chair was awarded a silver medal.

– A few years after the exhibition, Jacobsen drew a spiral-shaped experimental building, The House of the Future, which had these chairs on its roof terrace, Tobias Bjørk from the Danish rattan furniture company Sika-Design says.

Hence the Paris chairs’ nickname, The Chair of the Future.

The name would prove to be an omen, as Sika-Design only started producing the chair in 2014 as part of its Icons collection. The chair is also available in a synthetic material suitable for outdoor use.

From sunset to sunrise

– The chair was inspired by the sunset, which is symbolised by its ”wheels”, Bjørk explains.

Paris chairs have found an ideal home at the lounge of St. George Day -spa, where the soft, indirect light resembles dawn or dusk. 

According to Linda Ekholm, the idea was to furnish the spa with timeless design pieces, just like the rest of Hotel St. George.

Chairs made of natural rattan don’t scream for attention but instead match the spa’s down-to-earth ambiance. 

St. George Care -spa is a very minimalist space that doesn’t overstimulate the senses. It was a conscious choice not to have piles of magazines there either.

– Instead of a magazine, guests are often seen reading a book about the joys of minimalism, L’art de la simplicité, which we’ve left for all to peruse on the table.

Find you favorite design in Finnish Design Shop's St. George Collection

Love the design at Hotel St. George? You can now have St. George design moments delivered to your front door - almost anywhere in the world - within a few days.

Find Arne Jacobsen's Paris Chair and many other Hotel St. George's furniture in Finnish Design Shop's St. George Collection. 

Published: 12.2.2019
Photos: Esa Laukkanen & Sika-design