Arne Jacobsen

Swan Sofa, by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen, 1958 The two-seat sister of the Swan chair, made for the suites and lounges of Copenhagen's SAS Royal Hotel. It is one moulded shell under a layer of foam and upholstery, with no straight lines anywhere, its arms rising from the seat like folded wings, all on a slim aluminium base. At roughly 144 centimetres wide it is a snug two-seater rather than a family sofa, ideal for a small flat, a bedroom corner or a reading nook where a full sofa would swamp the room. The shell holds you upright and close, comfortable for conversation, but there is no lying down. It spent decades out of production before Fritz Hansen brought it back, in fabric or leather, at a serious price.