The SAS Royal Hotel claims to be the worlds first "design hotel". Built between 1956 and 1960, the hotel was designed inside and out - from the cutlery in the restaurant to the "cigar box" exterior - by the famous Danish architect Arne Jacobsen. Jacobsen created some of his most iconic designs for the hotel, such as the instantly recognisable "Swan" and "Egg" chairs, which later went on to mass production. Unfortunately over the years the hotel has been refurbished a number of times, and many of the original designs and fabrics have been replaced by generic corporate objects and utilities. While retaining some of its charm, the hotel is a shell of its former self - if only they had kept the original design, it would truly be one of the most remarkable hotels in the world. Luckily, one room was kept in its original form - room 606, which you can see photos of here. Jacobsen designed everything from the electricity points, to the mirrors, to the lights, and so on. You can still rent the room - although it costs twice as much as the other rooms on that floor, and unfortunately it is lower down without the spectacular views that can be seen from the top.
The hotel dominates the skyline of Copenhagen, and was, controversially, the first skyscraper in Denmark when it was built. A design teacher once told me that, from the outside, she thought it was the most beautiful building in Copenhagen - "It always looks different, when you look at it from different angles and in different lights, you always see something new." Well, I have tried looking at it from a lot of different angles and in a lot of different lights, and I really can't say I agree - beautiful is just not a word that springs to mind. Jacobsen himself said "At least, it came in first when they held a competition for the ugliest building in Copenhagen." But the interior is another story - the remnants of the original design hint at a time when everything was a bit more classy - film stars, politicians, kings and queens have stopped here to sip cocktails and enjoy the 60's decadence as they were jet setting around the world.
Shot for Danish magazine "Euroman".
