Retrofuturism Meets Danish Simplicity
Arne Jacobsen's Designs for the SAS Royal Hotel
Arne Jacobsen's SAS Royal Hotel opened in 1960 and was Copenhagen's first skyscraper. The building was inspired by the Lever House in New York designed by Gordon Bunshaft at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The International Style the structure imitated caused controversy; Danish citizens worried that an essential nationalist quality was being lost and that Jacobsen was trying too hard to emulate the stark sheen of American metropolises.

Despite the austere façade, the interior, also completely designed by Jacobsen, was populated with his organic-inspired furniture in simplified forms and natural, subdued shades of green. The spaces featured the Pot Chair, Swan Chair, Series 3300 sofa, lighting, flatware and even doorknobs, all designed by Jacobsen.

The hotel still stands today, though as the Radisson Collection Hotel. All but one space—Room 606 (which can be booked by guests)—has been redesigned.