The Lesser-Known Ox-Chair

Designed by Arne Jacobsen for the National Bank of Denmark in 1966.

Arne Jacobsen designed this chair over a five-year period. Large, impressive, and extremely comfortable, when it was presented in 1966 it was met with surprise and admiration. “This is also how he can be: angular and with a touch of martial temperament that we could call Germanic or perhaps more properly Japanese in expression”

- Thau and Vindum, eds., Jacobsen.

pictures by seier + seier


read more about the National Bank building here

Anymous Architecture: Villa by Kystvejen

There are alot of solid good houses, immaculate in materials and execution, that will never make it to the design and architecture literature. L'ESPRIT NOUVEAU exists to present these anonymous objects of design alongside their more famous dito. Below you'll find one of these works of architecture that have been forgotten or probably never acknwledged in the first place. The pictures (by Mikael Strange -nothing wrong with them) come from a run-of-the-mill interior magazine article that focuses more on the boring and semi-chic owner-couple and their uninspiring collection of white shite that clutters the beautiful structure that an architect named Ole Henriksen gave birth to just north of Copenhagen, sometime on the sixties. That house is of course the true star of the article, and it is a shame that not more focus is layed upon it - or what's left of it. No floorplan. And while the owner-couple makes alot of talk of staying true to the original spirit of the house - they always do - walls have aparetly been moved, floors replaced and *surprise, surprise* a new kitchen has been installed. The best thing about the interiors of the house is not surprisingly the part that is untouched by the new owners:

The entrance, an architectural space in it's own right as was often the case with these villas of the sixties. Greenlandish marble and oregon pine, and black metal fixtures. Ole Henriksen knew what he was doing, all right.

 

Let's Drive Through Copenhagen!

...and take pictures!

Henning Larsen's Ferring centre, 1998-2002, with aditions being built now.

 Yes, that's a beer can he's holding.

Facory complexes are beautiful, aren't they?

 This hotel caught my eye because of the quite beautiful brickwork on it's side. Interesting 'take' on curtain wall construction for the 21st century.

"Den Sorte Diamant" - "the Black Diamond", Schmidt Hammer Lassen, 1999

Next to it was this really interesting building:

That's a greenish marble, anddetails of copper. Awesome.

 Good architecture.

 Danmarks Nationalbank and the architectural pride of Copenhagen. Arne Jacobsen, 1961-78

 Nice bridge and...

 ...the Foreign Ministry, by Halldor Gunnløgsson, 1977-80

 Functionalised building.

 Great funkis.

More great funkis at Englandsvej/Peder Lykkes Vej, Amager.

And great attic-apartments!