Those of you who read this blog regularly know that I tend to feature hotels that are more homey and less hotely. So, at first glance, the slick 400 plus room Mira in Hong Kong would be the type of property I would probably pass over. Not because it isn’t fabulous, it is, but because it is a little on the slick side. But then I saw the Egg Chairs.
The hotel’s designers brilliantly chose Arne Jacobsen’s iconic Egg Chairs to dictate the design of several guest rooms. These pics are a good example of how just one incredible piece has the power to transform a room from everyday to exceptional.
The designers let the hue of the chair inspire the rest of the room. Here blue/grey version was followed by charcoal wallpaper behind a white headboard, grey trimmed bedding and blanket, and a grey rug. It’s an easy formula to mimic for a contemporary bedroom (sans the mirrored walls!).
Jacobsen actually originally designed the Egg Chair for a hotel–the Royal Hotel in Copenhagan. Jacobsen viewed it as a futuristic interpretation of the wing chair. His design quickly achieved iconic status and prompted a sea of imitators. If you want to see what an egg chair would look like in your pad try the Regency Shop’s color chooser. If you have about $5K for an Egg Chair made by the original manufacturer Fritz Hanson, you can swing by Hive Modern and customize the chair in over 75 different hues. You can even order it in leather.
Inmod.com offers a quickship version in red or black for $959. They describe their chair as an inspired reproduction of Jacobsen’s original that offers impeccable accuracy.
For those of you more into the Belgian look that Restoration Hardware is churning out these days, check out their version which they call the 1950s Upholstered Copenhagen Chair
My fave version hails from Little Nest. It comes in 10 colors, 4 shades of leather, and goes for $585 a pop. It is for kids 3 plus years old, up to 88 pounds. They even have a disclaimer mentioning that it isn’t for pets–too funny. Goes to show you that everybody loves the Egg Chair.