Whimsical design: the Hanging Egg chair

The playful Hanging Egg chair brings out the child in all of us

The best design can transport us to another level of feeling, helping us to see the world through a new prism. Put on a perfectly tailored jacket or a beautiful dress and we instantly stand taller and swell with fresh confidence. The same goes for furniture or homeware design –  sitting in a Barcelona chair drinking from a Wedgewood cup is markedly different from being plonked on an office seat chugging builder’s tea in a mug.

And often it’s the very simplest designs, without flourish or fanfare, that are the most transformative. So it is with the Hanging Egg chair, designed by Nanna and Jørgen Ditzel in 1959. On paper, a rattan chair hanging from a frame or ceiling doesn’t sound all that much. But it’s more than the sum total of its parts. We instantly recognise the organic shape, womb-like and cocooning.

But it’s the hanging suspension that elevates the chair to another level, making it playful and fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and, if we sit in the chair and enjoy its gentle swing and rock, we have to loosen up too. Plus, it has a relaxed boho feel, making it very different from much Danish mid-century design.

Nanna Ditzel, who studied furniture design at the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen, was successful in a male-dominated environment, becoming known for her combination of soft, natural shapes, experimental approach and work with challenging materials. She continued to design after Jørgen’s death in 1961, elevating rattan (the thin, pliable stems of palms) and wicker to the design hall of fame.

Although these materials had their heyday in the 60s and 70s, they’re seeing a welcome renaissance now. The Hanging Egg may have spawned numerous wannabie copies, but the original is still manufactured by Sika Design, one of the oldest Scandanavian producers of rattan and wicker furniture, allowing today’s buyers a joyous addition to their homes.