Charlottenborg Chair
Arne Jacobsen's rattan lounge chair of 1936, named after the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition of 1937 and reissued by Sika-Design.
- Designed by
- Arne Jacobsen
- Made by
- Sika-Design
- First made
- 1936
Pictures © Sika-Design, from sika-design.com.
Why it is renowned
The Charlottenborg is Arne Jacobsen's wicker lounge chair of 1936, light in look and weight, made to suit the new functionalist Danish homes of the 1930s.1 It takes its name from the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition, where it was shown in 1937.1 Jacobsen furnished Novo's diabetes sanatorium Hvidøre with it, and kept it in his own summer house at Gudmindrup Lyng, built in 1938, and later in his terraced house at Strandvejen 413.1
The story
In the 1920s Danish architects turned to wicker as a lighter answer to heavy upholstered suites, and Jacobsen saw bamboo and rattan as a way to make modern furniture for the houses he was building.1 Its back is a thin open shell, edged with cane that runs on to form the open arms; between the wars it was usually upholstered in floral fabric.1 Sika-Design makes it today in its ICONS range, working with the designer's descendants. It is woven by hand from Indonesian rattan, with an upholstered seat, a loose back cushion and plain fabrics, as Jacobsen preferred at home.21 A two-seater sofa and a table go with it.2
Sources
- Charlottenborg Chair, Arne Jacobsen. arnejacobsen.com, read 17 October 2026.
- Charlottenborg Lounge Chair, Sika-Design. sika-design.com, read 17 October 2026.
Last checked 17 October 2026, against the maker's own pages.