In Scandinavia, light has always been more than illumination, it is a way of seeing. The long winters and low northern sun shaped not only the region’s architecture, but also the interiors that defined everyday life. Designers in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland came to understand light as both a material and an idea – something to be shaped, softened, and reflected. From the 1920s to the 1970s, they developed a language of light that was both technical and poetic, merging modern innovation with an enduring sense of atmosphere.

Few objects capture the union of architecture and furniture as clearly as Arne Jacobsen’s Egg Chair. Designed in 1958 for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, the Egg is both a technical experiment and a sculptural statement. More than six decades later, it has become one of the most recognizable chairs in design history – a piece that continues to embody the ideals of Scandinavian modernism. The SAS Royal Hotel was Jacobsen’s most ambitious commission, conceived as a “total design” where nothing was left to chance.

When we talk about provenance in design, it is about more than knowing who made a piece. It is about the story behind it – who owned it, where it was used, and the role it played. Materials, form, and condition can make something beautiful, but provenance adds depth. It is what turns certain works into cultural landmarks, while others remain simply attractive objects.

For collectors, this history is essential. It can be the difference between something interesting and something truly significant.