What the work is
Arne Jacobsen designed the Swan lounge chair and sofa in 1958 for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. Fritz Hansen manufactured the design. It belongs to a commission in which Jacobsen considered furniture alongside the building.
How it was made
The documented chair has a star-shaped base made from satin-polished aluminium and an upholstered body offered in leather and fabric versions. Those facts identify the visible arrangement without pretending to establish every internal material or manufacturing step.
What works
Read the upholstery and base as two distinct parts of the composition. The contrast gives a useful way to study the chair beyond its name: where does the upholstered shape end, and how does the metal support change the impression of that shape?
What does not
The Swan’s connection with a famous hotel is context, not a substitute for evaluating a chair. When studying an example, separate the commission’s reputation from the specific upholstery, proportions and setting in front of you. This is a way to look more carefully, rather than a claim about a defect.
What it influenced
Jacobsen also used the Swan in later work, including Danmarks Nationalbank. That documented reuse is more specific than a general claim of influence: it shows one furniture design moving between the architect’s commissions. The related sofa offers another comparison within the design family.
Is it worth your time
The Swan is worth studying as both furniture and part of an architectural setting. Compare its use in different commissions, then return to the relationship between upholstered form and metal base.