Product news: Danish furniture brand Howe has relaunched Arne Jacobsen's classic Tongue chair, which was designed in 1955.
Howe has replicated the exact appearance of the original design and reproduced it using contemporary manufacturing techniques to address stability and durability concerns.
Jacobsen designed the chair for the Munkegård School in his native Denmark, but it was not produced commercially until the late 1980s and was withdrawn after just a few years.
Tongue was the second chair designed by Jacobsen, shortly after his famous Ant chair, but it never achieved the same widespread distribution as many of his other furniture designs.
It was used in the rooms of Jacobsen's famous SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, for which a modified bar stool version was also produced.
The relaunched Tongue chair is available in several veneers or with fabric or leather upholstery. Legs are chrome or powder-coated steel.
Last summer, Arne Jacobsen's iconic Ant chair was reinterpreted by designers and artists including Paul Smith, Quentin Blake, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and Tracey Emin and the results auctioned to raise money for Jamie Oliver's Better Food Foundation. Paul Smith has also reworked Jacobsen's Cylinda Line coffee pots, adding signature brightly-coloured handles.
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Here's some more information from Howe:
We fell truly, madly in love with the Tongue chair
The company struck by love is HOWE a/s, who relaunched the cutely named chair at this year’s fair in Milan. The Tongue was designed in 1955 by the renowned Arne Jacobsen, but it has not been in production for several years. Now HOWE a/s can proudly say that a Danish design classic has returned.
Arne Jacobsen is one of the most famous and most loveable Danish architects and designers. Known for marvellous architectural works, legendary furniture designs, and versatile industrial designs, Arne Jacobsen has truly left his mark on the international world of design and architecture.
The Tongue chair is a classic Arne Jacobsen design. It has the immediately recognisable characteristics of the organic wave-form in the seat; complemented with highly sculptural, splayed legs. And with the addition of modern construction techniques for additional strength, HOWE has ensured that the chair keeps its lovely curved, sculptural form perfectly in place.
The Tongue chair is available in beech, oak and walnut veneers as well as in stained veneer in black, white and teak. The Tongue is also available in full upholstery in both fabrics and leather – the colour palette ranges from light pink to cognac. The legs come in chrome or in black or white powder coating. The price begins at €486.