The original Oxford chair was designed back in 1965, when Arne Jacobsen was searching for a suitable solution for professors at St Catherine’s College at Oxford University. With its elongated high back, the Oxford chair became synonymous with status and prestige. The new contemporary edition dispenses with hierarchy and the high back to reflect today’s modern approach to work.

“We decided to revitalise the iconic Oxford chair in order to give it a more contemporary look and thus give it renewed relevance. We wound up with two versions: Classic and Premium. The Classic is made in monochrome black. The new look makes us ‘read’ the chair differently, seeing it as a single shape, unlike the traditional chrome frame edition, which is read more as a shell on a base. The premium edition has a thicker layer of foam, which makes it very comfortable, and it is upholstered in a new textile that comes in a variety of colours. The new colour palette changes the way we see the chair, as it goes immediately from a classic to a more modern expression. I think we have succeeded in achieving a pure and elegant expression with the new design,” says Christian Andresen, Head of Design, Republic of Fritz Hansen.

Republic of Fritz Hansen is carried in Singapore by W. Atelier

The original Oxford chair

St Catherine’s College at Oxford University