Oak Veneer for Ant Chair's 60th Anniversary

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ALLEROD, DENMARK - An oak veneer version of the famous Ant chair is being launched this month by its Danish manufacturer, the Republic of Fritz Hansen, honoring the 60th anniversary of the chair's creation by Arne Jacobsen. Previously it had only a natural beech plywood and edging.

The Ant is manufactured by steam bending nine layers of wood veneer, pushing the properties of wood to its limit, according to its manufacturer. The characteristic narrow waist, which gave the chair its name 'Ant,' was a technical requirement in order to press the double curved chair in one sheet of veneer.

The Ant chair was designed by Jacobsen in 1952 for the canteen at the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. It was one of the first chairs to be made of a single piece of molded plywood - a revolutionary approach at the time. It is still manufactured in essentially the same process, with the new dark stain edging applied by hand.