More than any other designer, Arne Jacobsen pioneered the concept of Nordic simplicity. And his stackable Series 7™ chair earned Arne Jacobsen and Republic of Fritz Hansen a prominent place in design history. In 2015 the Series 7 chair celebrates its 60 years anniversary.
60 year after its launch, the Series 7 is as current as ever. The only thing that has been added to mark the anniversary is new colour. Inspired by the original colour palette designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1968, the company has created two jubilee models in special colours. The two anniversary editions of the Series 7 chair celebrate the diversity of contexts that Arne Jacobsen’s iconic chair has performed in during its first 60 years of life – from MoMA in New York to Centre Bakery in Tokyo.
Side by side, the chairs highlight and complement each other’s significance. Both chairs also have what it takes for a stellar solo performance, elevating an entire room by their mere presence and beauty. The feminine chair can enhance a feminine setting or strike a fascinating contrast in a more masculine context, just as the masculine chair will bring different qualities to different environments. In other words, the chairs are designed both to stand out on their own and to complement each other and the space around them. The 60th Anniversary Edition of the Series 7 is inspired by the notion that ‘opposites attract’, a key theme in interior design right now. The 60th Anniversary Edition of the Series 7 chair is all about contrast – in materials and colours. While the deep dark blue and the pale pink may contrast each other, they also interact to create a calm and elegant look, attracting and complementing one another. To mark the 60th anniversary of this iconic chair, each chair has a golden plate mounted on the underside of the shell.
The Series 7 chair is by far the most sold chair in the history of Fritz Hansen and perhaps also in furniture history. The pressure moulded veneer chair is a further development of the classic Ant™ chair. The four-legged stackable chair represents the culmination of the lamination technique. The visionary Arne Jacobsen exploited the possibilities of lamination to perfection resulting in a durable chair with a perfect shape – that still is as current as ever.
In the process of producing the Series 7 chair, everything is carefully scrutinised, with as many as 22 hands checking the quality of the chairs before they leave the factory. Including the highly trained expert who hand picks the veneer from the batch. And the specialist who chooses which piece will form a coherent sheet of veneer – or not. The result is incomparable perfection seen in the natural flow in the grains of the wood. It’s all about expertise, an uncompromising commitment to quality and a passion for the materials that make each piece so unique.
