The egg chair has been around since the late 1950s, but hit its peak of popularity in the 1970s. Constructed of an egg-shaped shell of some moldable material, usually fiberglass, it has a padded interior that molds itself to your shape.
The egg chair was a big hit with its unique, egg-shaped design. Once inside, you were surrounded by comfort, encased in the chair rather than sitting in it. It created, as one ad said, a place where you could be “isolated, but not in isolation”.
The egg chair evolved from the bubble chair, which had a completely round shape. The egg chair is an elongated version of the bubble chair, and fits the human body better since, hopefully, we’re not completely round.
Designed in Denmark by designer Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for the SAS Radisson Hotel, it has been copied ever since. The original had a steel frame with fabric upholstery that could be customized with specific fabric. The original was a red fabric that matched the décor of the new hotel.
When the egg chair moved across the ocean to the United States, the shape of the chair stayed the same but someone came up with the bright idea to incorporate stereo speakers into the upholstery, near where a person’s ears would be.
This proved to be a great addition, at least for the United States market. While still expensive, the chairs with music availability sold well. They became an iconic symbol of the 60s and 70s in the United States.
Arne Jacobsen, the chair’s designer, won numerous awards for his architecture and designs, including the egg chair. It was debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing, New York and has been with us ever since.
In fact, if you saw the movie Men In Black, you saw egg chairs near the beginning of the movie, when our hero, Will Smith, was applying for his job. The chairs have become ubiquitous with enduring style. While some may consider it a “retro” piece, many others will tell you that the egg chair is a statement of American interior design, and that we’ll be seeing egg chairs well into the next century.
If you think the latter statement is more accurate, you can still buy reproductions of the egg chair from various suppliers and manufacturers of modern or retro furniture. Mix it up with your current furniture and see if you don’t make a leap forward. My Chair Pro is the premier information resource about chairs. We all types of chairs from cheap office chairs to ergonomic office chairs.
Tags: egg chair furniture, Egg Chairs, furniture improvement, home furniture, home improvement, retro style home
That chair is super sweet and totally awesome. I got a similar one here and i have been very satisfied. Thanks for the post, it was so engaging.