In 1957, Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen was commissioned to design the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. The project was ambitious, driven by the need of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) to create a luxury hotel that would also function as a travel agency and check-in terminal, making it easier for passengers to stay and move between destinations along the newly established direct route between Northern Europe and the United States.
Jacobsen’s brief was to create a true “total work of design”, overseeing everything, from the building itself and the interiors to every piece of furniture and even the cutlery. It was within this framework that he designed the AJ lamp, a minimalist, timeless object that Louis Poulsen has produced continuously to this day.
SAS Royal Hotel, Copenhagen: Arne Jacobsen’s manifesto project
The hotel still stands today, just steps away from the Tivoli Gardens. It is now part of the Radisson Group and, unfortunately, much of its original aesthetic has been lost over time due to successive renovations. What remains intact is Room 606, where everything has been preserved exactly as Jacobsen conceived it.
The SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen is widely considered the world’s first design hotel—a pinnacle of Danish modernism and the ultimate expression of Arne Jacobsen’s vision. Inaugurated in 1960, the building was Denmark’s tallest until 1969. Inside, both public spaces and guest rooms form a catalog of Nordic design icons, many of which were created specifically for the project. Among them are Jacobsen’s Egg Chair, Poul Henningsen’s Artichoke lamp, and, of course, the AJ lamp.
The AJ lamp was used throughout the hotel, from the entrance and work areas in its wall-mounted version to guest rooms as a desk lamp.
Why Arne Jacobsen’s AJ lamp remains timeless
Its slender stem, the sharply angled shade that directs light precisely downward, and its development into a full family of lamps—including table (in two sizes), floor, and wall versions—are the key elements that make the AJ a consistently relevant design.
Now considered one of the most iconic pieces of Scandinavian design—known for its ability to combinesimplicity of form with extreme functionality—the AJ lamp quickly became part of the Louis Poulsen collection.
Made of steel and injection-molded zinc, it is designed for durability. Originally available in metallic finishes such as copper and stainless steel, it is now offered in a wide color palette, including black, blue, orange, yellow, sand, and gray.
