NO.

670 Around 1900, the Viennese

(SITZAMASCHINE) architects discovered a new
Year: 1908 means of expression in the
Designer: Josef Hoffman bentwood technique. To
Materials: Bent beechwood, them, the simple forms of
turned wood, plywood, bras classic bentwood furniture -
a consequence of industrial
production - anticipated the
new aesthetic clarity they
were promoting. Josef
Hoffmann's Armchair No
670 combines the austere
elegance of bentwood with
the expressive formal
vocabulary of the Viennese
Secession. Its somewhat
voluminous form, strict
geometry, and adjustable
back are attributes that
suggest associations with
the machine.
RED BLUE CHAIR In the Red Blue Chair,
YEAR: 1918 Rietveld manipulated
DESIGNER: GERRIT rectilinear volumes and
RIETVELD examined the interaction of
Material: painted wood vertical and horizontal
Dimensions: 86.7 x 66 cm x planes, much as he did in
83.8 cm x 33 cm (h) his architecture. Although
the chair was originally
designed in 1918, its color
scheme of primary colors
(red, yellow, blue) plus
black—so closely associated
with the de Stijl group and
its most famous theorist and
practitioner Piet Mondrian—
was applied to it around
1923. Hoping that much of
his furniture would
eventually be mass-
produced rather than
handcrafted, Rietveld aimed
for simplicity in construction.
The pieces of wood that
comprise the Red Blue Chair
are in the standard lumber
sizes readily available at the
time.
HOGE STOEL HIGH BACK CHAIR The "Hoge stoel" appeared in
YEAR: 1919 print for the first time in the
DESIGNER: GERRIT RIETVELD Dutch journal, "de Stijl," no.
Material: painted wood 12, 1920 as part of a decor
Dimensions: 91.4 x 64.8 x 61cm designed by Theo van
Doesburg in 1919. The same
chair was later placed by
Rietveld in a clinic at
Maarssen (1920), but without
the two original side panels.
This particular model was
said to have been shown at
the seminal Bauhaus
exhibitions of 1923, but most
scholars today believe that
though it had been promised
for the show it was never
sent. In any case, there are
many analogies which may be
drawn between de Stijl
philosophies and the basic
tenets of the Bauhaus
movement. The chair's form
has many affinities with
Russian Constructivism also,
characterized by planar
elements seemingly floating
in space.
WASSILY CHAIR While teaching at the
YEAR: 1925 Bauhaus, Breuer often rode
DESIGNER: MARCEL BREUER a bicycle, a pastime that led
Material: CHROME-PLATED him to what is perhaps the
TUBULAR STEEL AND single most important
CANVAS innovation in furniture
Dimensions: 71.8 x 78.1 x 71.1 cm design in the twentieth
century: the use of tubular
steel. Breuer reasoned that
if it could be bent into
handlebars, it could be bent
into furniture forms.
The model for this chair is
the traditional overstuffed
club chair; yet all that
remains is its mere outline,
an elegant composition
traced in gleaming steel.
The canvas seat, back, and
arms seem to float in
space. The body of the
sitter does not touch the
steel framework. The chair
became known as the
"Wassily" after the painter
Kandinsky, Breuer's friend
and fellow Bauhaus
instructor, who praised the
design when it was first
produced.
MODEL NO. S33 This chair started life
Year: 1926 when the Dutch architect
Designer: Mart Stam and designer Martinus
Material: Lacquered, Cast Adrianus Stam, known as
Tubular Steel Frame, Internally Mart, started playing with
Reinforced With Metal Rods, bits of gas piping. Using
Fabric Seat And Back 10 straight pieces of pipe
linked with 10 plumbers‘
corner-joints, he made the
first ―cantilever‖ chair.
Stam was beaten to the
punch, however: in the two
years it took him to refine
his gas-pipe concept into a
marketable product, rival
architects Marcel Breuer
and Le Corbusier also
came up with cantilever
chairs.
Stam came to be
recognised as the
originator of the idea and
today you can buy iconic
chairs by all three — and
plenty of others who
played around with metal
tubing during the fertile
period of interwar
modernism.
MODEL NO. B33 Unlike Stam‘s S33, Marcel
YEAR: 1927-1928 Breuer‘s model no. B33
DESIGNER: MARCEL chair utilise non-reinforced
BREUER tubular steel, which gives
Material: Chrome-plated the construction greater
tubular steel with steel-thread resilience and more
seat and back comfort. This design
DIMENSIONS: 83.7 x 49 x eliminates visual division
64.5 cm between the base and
seat by using a
continuous supporting
frame.
WEISSENHOF CHAIR Influenced by Marcel
(MR20) Breuer's use of tubular
Year: 1927 steel, Mies van der Rohe
Designer: Ludwig Mies Van quickly recognised the
Der Rohe compatibility of this
Material: nickel-plated bent revolutionary material
tubular steel frame and stretcher with the contemporary
with woven cane seat and back design ethos. Inspired by
the lines of tubular iron
rockers designed in
Europe during the mid-
19th century, Mies
incorporated a new
material and a new
technology in the use of
the cantilever principle.
Mies van der Rohe used
the springiness of
tubular steel
(cantilever) as an
element in the chair's
construction and
designed the first free-
swinger in the history of
design.
MODEL NO. MR 10 Throughout the 1920s the
Year: 1927 German architect Mies van
Designer: Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe (1886-1969)
Der Rohe collaborated with the interior
Material: chrome-plated bent designer Lilly Reich (1885-
tubular steel frame and 1947) on the development of
stretcher with “eisengarn” furniture for his architectural
textile seat and back projects. By the mid-1920s
they, like other progressive
designers, were fascinated by
the possibilities of tubular
metal. Mies and Reich were
intrigued by the cantilever
chair, which they saw as the
acme of modernity offering
the comfort of a conventional
armchair without the
bourgeois associations of
upholstery. By 1927, they had
developed the textile-seated
MR10 and cane-seated
MR20. Both chairs were
exhibited at the 1927 Die
Wohnung exhibition of
modern living at the
Weissenhof Settlement in
Stuttgart.
TRANSAT CHAIR The name ‗Fauteuil
YEAR: 1927 Transat‘ that appears in
DESIGNER: Eileen gray the portfolio dedicated to
Material: black-lacquered the project, ‗E-1027
wood with nickel steel Maison en Bord de Mer‘,
fittings, the hinged padded underlines the maritime
back and seat with blue inspiration — for this is a
green fabric upholstery sophisticated re-
interpretation of that
most functionalist of
designs, the classic
deck-chair.
CESCA CHAIR Michael Breuer‘s 1928 Cesca
YEAR: 1928 chair combined traditional
DESIGNER: Marcel Breuer craftsmanship with industrial
Material: chrome-plated materials and methods. It is
tubular steel frames with the quintessential office/
stained bentwood and woven dining chair and can adapt to
cane seats and backs. virtually any environment.
BASCULANT CHAIR (B301) Also known as the
Year: 1928 "Colonial Chair", Le
DESIGNER: Le Corbusier And Corbusier's Basculant
Charlotte Perriand Chair's elegant lines
Material: chromed bent tubular and tilted seat provide
steel frame, calfskin seat and back plenty of leg support
with slung leather arms while pushing the
boundaries of design.
By Le Corbusier's
admission, the
Basculant chair shifted
from a humble
utilitarian design to
functional art.
GRAND CONFORT This chair epitomizes the
YEAR: 1928 International style. Originally
DESIGNER: Le Corbusier , created for the 1929 Salon
pierre jeanneret and Charlotte d‘Automne, they were an
Perriand integral part of a collection
Material: CHROMED BENT of interior ―equipment‖
TUBULAR steel frame with demonstrating a new luxury
leather-upholstered cushions and style in tubular steel.

A wide choice of leather

upholsteries in both quality
and colour means there is
even greater flexibility to this
classic design. The steel
frame is chromed and the
attention to detail projects
the luxury intended.
CHAISE LOUNGE (B306) The "chaise longue à réglage
YEAR: 1928 continu" – also known asB306 –
DESIGNER: Le Corbusier , was presented at the "Salone
pierre jeanneret and Charlotte d'Automne" in Paris in 1929 as
Perriand part of the "Equipement interieur
Material: Chrome plated d'une habitation (Interior
tubular steel frame on black equipment of a room)".
enameled base with leather It is constituted by two
upholstered cushions independent elements: the base
and the cradle (seat or rest). The
cradle – the form follows the curve
of the human body – appears to
move on its base and it can slide
without any mechanisms, with a
continual gliding that allows for
any angle and it remains stable
thanks to the friction of steel and
the rubber covering the
crosspieces of the base.
Le Corbusier defined it as the "true
resting machine" and mentioned
having thought of a cowboy while
designing, smoking his pipe, sitting
with his feet up, supported on the
edge of the fireplace.
SIEGE TOURNANT Inspired by a simple office
SWIVEL CHAIR (model chair, this swivel chair was
302) designed for use at a desk
YEAR: 1928-1929 or dining table. Under Le
DESIGNER: Le Corbusier , Corbusier‘s supervision,
Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Charlotte Periand
Perriand transformed the utilitarian
Material: CHROMED BENT form by upholstering the
TUBULAR steel frame with seat and back in luxurious
leather-upholstered seat and leather. She envisaged the
back rail back as providing a solid
comfortable cushion to rest
against ―like automobile
tyres‖.
BARCELONA CHAIR (MR Seen from the side, the
90) single curve of the bar
YEAR: 1929 forming the chair's back
DESIGNER: Ludwig Mies van and front legs crosses
der Rohe the S-curve of the bar
Material: bent chromed flat forming the seat and
steel frame with leather straps back legs, making an
and leather-buttoned intersection of the two.
upholstered cushions. This simple shape
derives from a long
history of precedents,
from ancient Egyptian
folding stools to
nineteenth-century
neoclassical seating.
Mies van der Rohe
designed this chair for
his German Pavilion at
the Barcelona Exposition
of 1929.
BRNO CHAIR (MR 50) The Brno chair (model
YEAR: 1929-1930 number MR50) is a
DESIGNER: Ludwig Mies van modernist cantilever
der Rohe chair designed for the
Material: bent chromed flat bedroom of the
steel frame with upholstered Tugendhat House in
wood seating section Brno, Czech Republic.
The Brno chair was
selected by Dan
Cruickshank as one of
his 80 man-made
"treasures" in the 2005
BBC series, Around the
World in 80 Treasures.
TUGENDHAT CHAIR (MR In appearance, the
70) Tugendhat chair is
YEAR: 1929-1930 somewhat of a hybrid of
DESIGNER: Ludwig Mies van Mies van der Rohe's 1929
der Rohe Barcelona chair and 1929-
Material: bent chromed flat 1930 Brno chair. Like the
steel frame, tubular steel Barcelona chair, the
connecting spring, buttoned Tugendhat chair has a large
leather-covered upholstered padded leather seat and
seat and back sections back, supported by leather
straps mounted on a steel
frame and legs. However,
like one variant of the Brno
chair, the frame is flat solid
steel, formed under into a
C-shape under the seat to
create a cantilever.
Versions exist with or
without leather-padded
steel arms. The metal was
originally polished stainless
steel; modern examples are
often chrome-plated.
PAIMIO CHAIR (NO. 41) When Alvar Aalto won the
YEAR: 1930-1931 commission to design the
DESIGNER: Alvar Aalto Paimio Sanatorium in the late
Material: bent laminated and 1920s, he approached the
solid birch frame with project as if he was a patient.
lacquered bent plywood seat No detail escaped him: from
section the meticulously planned lay-
out of the building and canary
yellow paint on the stairs with
which he hoped to cheer up
the patients, to the robust,
comfortable furniture made
from Finnish birch. Aalto
experimented with plywood for
three years to develop a chair
which would ease the
breathing of tuberculosis
patients and succeeded in
producing the first pliant chair
to be built without a rigid
framework.
CANTILEVERED CHAIR This chair has a more
NO. 31 subtle curved form than
YEAR: 1933 the Armchair 41 but just
DESIGNER: Alvar Aalto as comfortable. The frame
Material: bent laminated and was thicker from the front
solid birch frame with of the seat down as there
lacquered bent plywood seat was more stress on the
section frame there. Alvar Alto
constructed the frame
with 7 layers of lamination
and less for the arms and
back as they required less
reinforcement.
VIIPURI STACKING Originally designed for the
STOOLS (MODEL no. 60) Viipuri Library, these stools
YEAR: 1932-1933 caused a sensation when
DESIGNER: alvar aalto they were exhibited in 1933
Material: bent laminated birch with Aalto‘s Paimio Chair at
construction Fortnum & Mason
department store in London.
Aalto‘s practical, stackable
stools have since been in
constant use – particularly in
public buildings such as
schools and libraries.
ZIGZAG CHAIR Rietveld‘s early work with
YEAR: 1932-1934 wood reinforced his later
DESIGNER: Gerrit Rietveld role as a radical designer,
Material: oak construction with architect and member of
brass fittings the Avant Garde De Stijl
movement. It gave him the
technical expertise to put
some of De Stijl‘s principles
into practice, notably by
realising its zest for oblique
diagonal lines in this
cantilevered Zig-Zag chair.
STANDARD CHAIR Prouve's inventive move
YEAR: 1934 from tubular steel,
DESIGNER: Jean Prouve innovated by the Bauhaus
Materials: painted bent tubular movement, into the use of
steel and steel frame with bent pressed and
lacquered moulded plywood compressed sheet metal,
seat and back, rubber feet for its strength meant that
the chair frame is
extremely strong whilst
continuing to look
lightweight.
CRATE Intended for use in holiday
YEAR: 1934 homes, the Crate reflects the
DESIGNER: Gerrit Rietveld growing enthusiasm of its
Materials: red spruce designer, the visionary architect
construction Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964) for
rudimentary construction during
the 1930s. Like its predecessor,
the Zig-Zag Chair, the Crate was
simply constructed from
inexpensive planks of wood with
visible flaws. For Rietveld, the
uncompromising simplicity of
the Crate was an honest
response to the harsh economic
climate during the early 1930s.
CHAISE LOUNGE When Marcel Breuer arrived
YEAR: 1935-1936 in England as an exile from
DESIGNER: Gerrit Rietveld Germany, he was eager to
Materials: bent laminated birch continue the experiments with
frame with bent plywood seat tubular steel. Jack Pritchard,
section a sympathetic furniture maker
who had offered to
manufacture Breuer's
designs, claimed that the
British were too conservative
to buy metal furniture and
insisted that Breuer worked in
wood. The result was the Long
Chair, devised by Breuer from
a laminated birch frame of
two parts joined by the seat
as a wooden version of his
earlier metal chaises lounges.
Pritchard publicised the Long
Chair as offering "scientific
relaxation to every part of the
body".
BARREL (TALIESIN) CHAIR Designed for the private
YEAR: 1937 residence of the Johnson
Designer: Frank Lloyd Wright Wax family for Wingspread
Material: natural Cherrywood in Wind point, Wisconsin.
with an upholstered leather seat Wright considered the
Dimensions: 23 5/8" x 23 1/8" x barrel chair as one of his
33" most important designs
and placed them in his
most famous
commissions. He used a
larger version in the
Darwin Martin house,
Falling Water and in his
own residence, Taliesin
East.
ARMCHAIR 406 Conceived as a variation on
YEAR: 1938-1939 Alvar Aalto‘s earlier laminated
Designer: Alvar Aalto wood cantilevered armchair,
Material: laminated wood and the Chair No. 406 was
solid birch frame with textile designed at the same time as
webbing he was working on the
Finnish Pavilion for the 1939
New York World‘s Fair and
Villa Mairea, a house for the
industrialist Harry Gullichsen
and his wife Maire. A few
years earlier Aalto (1898-
1976) had co-founded Artek,
the furniture manufacturer,
with Maire Gullichsen and his
own wife Aino. Based in
Helsinki, Artek produced
many of Aaalto‘s furniture
designs and continues to
manufacture them today.
LANDI OR SPARTANA When Hans Fischli, the
CHAIR architect of the 1939
YEAR: 1938 Swiss National Exhibition
Designer: Hans Coray in Zurich, organised a
Material: bent and pressed open competition to
aluminium construction. design the official chair
for use in the parks and
gardens, it was won by
literature student Hans
Coray (1906-1991) with
the design for this
aluminium alloy Landi
chair, named after the
exhibition. Practicality
was the priority for Coray
when designing the
Landi. It needed to be
light and stackable to
enable the exhibition
staff to move chairs from
place to place for
different events. As an
outdoor chair, it also
needed to be rainproof.
Coray‘s solution was to
add perforations which
not only reduced the
chair‘s weight but
allowed rain to drain
from the seat.
SLING OR BUTTERFLY The B.K.F. Chair—also
CHAIR known as the Hardoy
YEAR: 1938 Chair, Butterfly Chair,
Designer: Jorge Ferrari-hardoy, Safari Chair, Sling Chair, or
Juan Kurchan And Antonio Wing Chair—was designed
Bonet in Buenos Aires. Its name
Material: enamelled tubular credits its three designers.
steel frame with leather sling The first two B.F.K. chairs
seat to come to the United
States went to
Fallingwater, Edgar
Kaufmann Jr.'s home in
Pennsylvania (designed by
family friend Frank Lloyd
Wright), and to MoMA.
Kaufmann accurately
predicted that the
lightweight and
inexpensive lounge chair
would become hugely
popular in the U.S.,
particularly on the West
Coast. Artek-Pascoe
produced the chair from
1941 to 1948, sending
royalties back to
Argentina. Knoll
Associates acquired U.S.
production rights in the
late 1940s and
unsuccessfully pursued
legal action against
unauthorized copies,
which continue to be
produced to this day.
 pelican
YEAR: 1940
DESIGNER: finn juhl
Material: fully upholstered
seating section with maple legs

With graceful curves that befriend the body and wrap

the sitter in its embrace, the Pelican is true to Juhl’s
idea that “a chair is not just a product of decorative
art in a space, it is a form and a space in itself.” And
while the influence of contemporary sculpture is clear,
Juhl was quick to clarify that “furniture is furniture,
not sculpture.”

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ARMCHAIR (MODEL NV.45) The NV-45 chair, a beautiful
YEAR: 1945 example of the fruitful
Designer: Finn Juhl cooperation between Finn
Material: mahogany frame with Juhl and the cabinet maker
textile-covered upholstered Niels Vodder, was
seating section presented the first time at
the "Snedkerlaugets
møbeludstilling" at the
Kunstindustrimuseet
(Museum of Decorative
Arts) in Copenhagen
between the 28. Sept. - 14.
Oct. 1945.
LCM (LOUNGE CHAIR The LCM Chair is one of a
METAL) group of plywood chairs
YEAR: 1945-1946 that was first shown in
DESIGNER: Charles And Ray 1945 at New York at the
Eames Museum of Modern Art.
Material: chrome-plated
tubular steel frame attached to
“slunk skin” (animal hide)-
covered moulded plywood seat
and back with rubber shock-
mounts
LCM (LOUNGE CHAIR WOOD) In the early 1940s, after
YEAR: 1945-1946 working all day on MGM set
Designer: Charles And Ray Eames designs, Charles Eames
Material: bent birch-faced plywood returned to his small L.A.
frame attached to moulded birch- apartment with his wife,
faced plywood seat and back with Ray. Together the two
rubber shock mounts designers worked through
their evenings, using thin
sheets of veneer and a
bicycle-pump compressor
to experiment with wood-
molding techniques. The
technology they developed
during those late hours
made their revolutionary
furniture designs possible,
including this modest chair
that Time magazine
recently named the Best
Design of the 20th Century.
The contours of its low and
casual form cradle the
human body more
comfortably than one
would imagine can be done
by a wooden chair.
WOMB CHAIR Eero Saarinen designed
YEAR: 1947-1948 with the human form in
Designer: Eero Saarinen mind as the end user of the
Material: bent tubular steel furniture. The Womb chair
frame with fabric-covered envelops the persons and
upholstered moulded fibreglass creates a safe and
seat shell and latex foam comfortable place to curl
cushions, nylon glides up and relax. It's organic
form is representative of
the mid century
Scandinavian modernism
style of furniture using
synthetic materials to
create organically inspired
forms.
To increase the comfort he
also designed a
coordinating ottoman or
foot stool. It was designed
for Knoll Associates Inc.
and is still in production.
LA CHAISE This chaise longue was
YEAR: 1948 inspired by Gaston
Designer: Charles And Ray Lachaise's 1927 sculpture
Eames Reclining Nude and
Material: fibreglass seat shell nicknamed after the artist.
on a wood and steel rod base It did not receive a prize
because it was considered
too "specialized in use" and
too expensive to
manufacture at the time.
However, it was highlighted
by the judges, who admired
its "striking, good-looking
and inventive" molded
construction. La Chaise
finally went into production
in 1990 and is now one of
the Eameses's signature
works.
DAR (DINING ARMCHAIR ROD) The DAR Chair (DAR
YEAR: 1948-1950 Dining Armchair Rod) is
Designer: Charles And Ray Eames part of the Plastic Shell
Material: molded fiberglass-reinforced Group if chairs designed
polyester seat shell connected to an by the Eameses, from
“Eifel tower” metal rod base with their ideas and
rubber shock mounts prototypes by Charles
Eames and Eero
Saarinen conceived for
the Museum of Modern
Art's "Organic Design in
Home Furnishings"
competition in 1940.
RAR (ROCKING ARMCHAIR Plastic Armchairs were
ROD) first presented as part of
YEAR: 1948-1950 the famed New York
Designer: Charles And Ray Museum of Modern Art
Eames competition, "Low Cost
Material: molded fiberglass- Furniture Design". Their
reinforced polyester seat shell organically shaped seat
connected to a metal rod and shells made of
birch sled base with rubber shock fibreglass-reinforced
mounts plastic were later
combined with various
different bases, such as
RAR's rockers and
manufactured in their
millions. In their latest
version made of
polypropylene the
Armchairs now offer even
greater sitting comfort.
Y CHAIR OR WISHBONE The ―Y‖ chair, sometimes
CHAIR known as the ―Wishbone‖, is
YEAR: 1950 Wegner‘s most commercially
Designer: Hans J. Wegner successful design.
Material: oak frame with
woven paper cord seat.
ANTONY CHAIR The Antony chair was originally
YEAR: 1950 designed for the University of
Designer: Jean Prouve Strasbourg and manufactured
Material: painted bent tubular by Jean Prouve's own
and flat steel frame with company and distributed by
moulded plywood seat section Steph Simon of Paris.
ANTELOPE CHAIR The Antelope chair
YEAR: 1950 embraced all the practical
Designer: Ernest Race requirements of post-war
Material: painted bent tubular furniture. The Antelope‘s
steel frame with moulded jaunty curves, spindly legs
plywood seat section. and comical ball feet
evoked the growing
optimism of the British as
they entered the 1950s
convinced that science
and technology would
create a better future. The
Antelope was
commissioned to furnish
the outdoor terraces of
the newly built Royal
Festival Hall for the 1951
Festival of Britain together
with the stackable
Springbok chair.
JASON From the early 1950s
Designer: Jacobs, Carl progressive British taste fell
Year:1950-51 under the sway of Danish
Materials: Moulded 5-ply design. The jason chair was
Beech Plywood Seat designed by a Danish designer
With Solid Beech Frame carl Jacobs but was
manufactured by kandya, a
British firm. The lightweight,
stackable, chair has gently
tapering splayed wooden legs
that are typical of Danish
design of the period. The seat
and back of the chair are
folded from a single sheet of
flexible plywood that wraps
around the chair and joins
below the seat in an
expressive, though
functionless, jigsaw puzzle
type connection. In america
the eames and Eero saarinen
were experimenting With
moulding single-piece chair
seats And backs, but it
required far simpler
Technology to bend plywood to
Achieve the same effect, as
with this Chair. Principally
designed for Domestic use, the
jason chair Was in continuous
production for Almost twenty
years, with metal Legs as an
option. In 1952 Three hundred
were installed in The south
bank restaurant on the Site of
the festival of Britain.
WIRE MESH CHAIR Having concentrated
YEAR: 1951-1953 on plywood seating
Designer: Charles And Ray when they arrived in
Eames Los Angeles in the
Material: bent and welded steel early 1940s, Charles
rod seat shell on “Eiffel tower” and Ray Eames
metal rod base (1907-1978 and
1912-1988) were
producing chairs from
fibreglass bucket
seats and steel bases
at the end of the
decade. By the early
1950s, their
experiments focused
on the design of wire
mesh chairs made
from bent and welded
steel. By doubling the
gauge of the steel for
the rim of the chair,
the Eames developed
a light, airy piece of
furniture, which was
also extremely robust.
SUPERLEGGERA, MODEL This ‗super-
NO. 699 lightweight‘ chair was
YEAR: 1951-1957 inspired by the
Designer: Gio Ponti traditional rustic
Material: ash frame with Italian chairs made
woven rush seat by artisans in the
fishing villages
around Chiavari in
Liguria. Determined
to design a light,
compact, inexpensive
chair, Ponti reduced
the weight to 1.7kg
by using triangular-
shaped legs and
struts rather than the
usual round ones.
Finely balanced as
well as light, the
Superleggera 699
can be lifted up with
just one finger.
MODEL NO. 420C Bertoia was at
YEAR: 1950-1952 Cranbrook during the
Designer: Harry Bertoia period when Charles
Material: vinyl-coated bent and Eames was head of the
welded steel rod construction Department of
with loose seat cushion Experimental Design.
The wire chairs of
Bertoia appeared a
year after the wire chair
of Charles Eames.
Although they are
different in form, the
basic concept is similar
and both make use of
the same material.
DIAMOND CHAIR ―If you look at these
YEAR: 1950-1952 chairs, you will see
Designer: Harry Bertoia that they are mainly
Material: vinyl-coated bent and made of air, just like
welded steel rod construction light sculptures,‖
with loose seat cushion observed their
designer Harry Bertoia
(1915-1978).
Bertoia had started to
develop light, airy
furniture from wire as
a student at the
Cranbrook Academy in
Michigan during the
late 1930s. When
Bertoia set up his own
studio in Pennsylvania
in 1950, he returned
to wire furniture and
developed the elegant
Diamond Chair for
Knoll International.
ANT Despite its minimalist
YEAR: 1951-1952 and svelte form, the Ant
Designer: Arne Jacobsen chair by Arne Jacobsen is
Material: painted plywood seat extremely comfortable
connected to tubular steel base due to its shell design
, rubber cap feet while achieving a beauty
and elegance which has
made Jacobsen's first
stacking chair one of his
best-known designs.
Although a revolutionary
design, the Ant was not
an immediate hit when
first launched by Fritz
Hansen in 1952.
ROCKING STOOL Noguchi studied sculpture
YEAR: 1954 in New York after dropping
Designer: Isamu Noguchi out of medical school in
Material: painted wood seat the 1920s and then moved
and base-connected with to Paris where he worked
chrome steel rod structure as an assistant to
Constantin Brancusi. His
sculptural sensibility is
evident in this Rocking
Stool, originally developed
for production by Knoll,
which also fulfils the
practical function of a seat.
SERIES 7 The Series 7 Chair debuted
YEAR: 1955 in 1955 at the H55
Designer: Arne Jacobsen exhibition in Sweden, and
Material: Painted moulded the appeal of what remains
plywood seat connected to one of the most copied
chromed bent tubular steel chairs of the modern era is
base with rubber cap feet its shape. The chair is
ideally suited to the human
body, its seatback has a
comfortable "give" and its
waterfall seat edge doesn't
press into legs. Arne
Jacobsen, who was instilled
with a love of materials,
shaped the core of Danish
design identity when he
accommodated three
different bends in one piece
of plywood, simply by
narrowing the chair back.
COCONUT Originally introduced by
YEAR: 1955 Herman Miller in 1955, the
Designer: George Nelson Nelson coconut chair is a
Material: fabric-covered, foam- 20th century furniture icon.
upholstered steel shell and It has a simple, striking
chrome tubular metal and metal shape, and it's also a very
rod legs comfortable place to unwind
at home or in the private
office or lounge. The
Coconut chair is typical of
1950s design, with its
shallow sides and inviting
curves. Designed to mirror a
coconut, cut up into eight
sections and is
distinguishable by its formal
clarity and minimisation of
materials. The simplicity of
the design is what has made
the Coconut chair a hit
throughout the decades,
with a plush upholstered
cushion that provides
comfort in style.
BUTTERFLY Ease of travel in the jet
YEAR: 1956 age encouraged a
Designer: Sori Yanagi growing fusion of
Material: moulded rosewood cultural influences
with brass stretcher after World War II.
Although Yanagi's stool
was designed and
manufactured in
Japan, it employs
Western form (the
stool) and material
(bentwood). Its
calligraphic elegance,
however, suggests a
distinctly Asian
sensibility despite the
rarity of such seating
furniture in traditional
Japanese culture. The
stool is made from two
curving and inverted L-
shaped rosewood
sections, each forming
one leg and half of the
seat. A metal rod
midway between the
legs serves as a
stretcher and holds the
stool together.
MODEL NO.670 AND Most of the work of the
MODEL NO. 671 Eames‘ studio was devoted to
YEAR: 1956 developing mass-
Designer: Charles And Ray manufactured furniture at
Eames affordable prices, but the
Material: rosewood-faced Lounge Chair was an
moulded plywood seat shells exception. It was a design
with leather-covered cushions, that was more opulent that
cast aluminium base what they usually did. It
combined industrial
production with hand
craftsmanship in leather
upholstery and a moulded
plywood shell with a rosewood
veneer that enables the chair
to move with the sitter.
PK22 PK22 Easy Chair (1957)
YEAR: 1955-1956 was inspired by the light,
Designer: Poul Kjaerholm elegant klismos chair
Material: chromed flat steel created by the ancient
frame with leather seat and Greeks. With this piece,
back. Kjærholm reduced the
chair to three elements:
legs, seat and connecting
clamps. Such simplicity is
true to the International
Style, and the combination
of a steel structure with
natural materials was
characteristic of his work.
Through his disciplined
approach, the chair's
cantilevered seat is
stabilized by a double
cross beam that is
precisely positioned so the
body rests naturally
without a hard front edge
or top rail.
MARSHMALLOW SOFA The Nelson Marshmallow
YEAR: 1956 Sofa is a hallmark of
Designer: George Nelson modern design, with a
Material: painted tubular steel recognizable look and fun,
frame with vinyl-covered latex unique style.
foam-filled circular pads Some may find it surprising
backed with steel disks. that the Nelson
Marshmallow Sofa was
actually designed somewhat
by accident, as Nelson and
Harper's quest for high-
resiliency low cost cushions
was never reached. During
this process, this now
famous design was born as
they placed 18 of the
proposed cushions on a
steel frame. Herman Miller
recognized their ?failure? as
an innovative design, and
the rest is history.
TULIP CHAIR In a 1956 cover story in
YEAR: 1955-1956 Time magazine, Eero
Designer: Eero Saarinen Saarinen said he was
Material: plastic-coated cast designing a collection to
aluminium base supporting "clear up the slum of legs
moulded fibreglass seat shell in the U.S. home." Later
with loose upholstered latex that year, he completed his
foam cushion. Pedestal Table and Tulip
Chair Collection (1956)
and obliterated the "slum"
by creating a cast
aluminium base inspired
by a drop of high-viscosity
liquid.
MEZZADRO Inspired by the ready-made
YEAR: 1957 sculpture of the early 20th
Designer: Achille And Pier century artist Marcel
Giacomo Castiglioni Duchamp, Achille Castiglioni
Material: lacquered tractor seat (1918-2002) and his brother
on chromed flat steel stem with Pier Giacomo (1913-1968)
wing-nut solid beech footrest. often made furniture from
found industrial objects,
such as the racing bicycle
saddle of the Sella stool and
the tractor seat of this
Mezzadro chair. The choice
of the tractor seat, a
reference to the
modernisation of Italian
agriculture, evoked the
brothers‘ passion for industry
and Italy‘s rustic traditions.
EGG CHAIR Arne Jacobsen
YEAR: 1957-1958 designed the SAS
Designer: Arne Jacobsen Royal Hotel in
Material: fabric covered , Copenhagen, as well
foam-upholstered moulded as many of the
fibreglass seat shell on a furnishings. For its
swivelling cast aluminium base busy lobby, he created
with loose cushion. the biomorphic Egg
(1958) and Swan,
which are believed to
be the first swivelling
upholstered chairs.
More than 50 years
after its design, the
Egg Chair is still used
in advertising, film
and television as a
symbol of
sophisticated
urbanism. Made in
Denmark.
SWAN CHAIR Before the Swan Chair
YEAR: 1957-1958 (1958), Arne Jacobsen's
Designer: Arne Jacobsen architecture and designs
Material: fabric covered , were shaped by an
foam-upholstered moulded assumption of materials'
fibreglass seat shell on a natural ways of resisting. In
swivelling cast aluminium other words, he could make
base. them go only so far in
becoming the structure he
desired. With new
technologies, however, the
old rules no longer applied
and he was able to shape
fluid curves and single-piece
moulded shells. The Swan
Chair is now made from
polyurethane foam, but at
the time, Jacobsen used
Styropore to create its
continuous shape.
ALUMINIUM GROUP The ―Aluminium Group‖
(EA117) was originally designed
YEAR: 1958 for indoor and outdoor
DESIGNER: Charles And Ray domestic use, and
Eames during its development
Material: enameled aluminum was often referred to as
frame and base with textile- the ―Leisure Group‖.
upholstered sling seat
PANTON Sexy, sleek and a
YEAR: 1959-1960 technical first – as the
Designer: Verner Panton first cantilevered chair
Material: moulded “baydur” to be made from a
(pu-hard foam) construction single piece of plastic –
the Panton Chair
epitomises the optimism
of the 1960s. Inspired
by the sight of a pile of
plastic buckets stacked
neatly on top of each
other, Verner Panton
(1926-1998) had
struggled with ways of
constructing a plastic
cantilevered chair since
the 1950s. When the
Panton Chair was finally
unveiled in the Danish
design journal Mobilia in
August 1967, it caused
a sensation.
POLYPROP There can be few
YEAR: 1962-1963 schools, factories and
Designer: Robin Day village halls in the UK
Material: injection-moulded which do not contain at
polypropylene seat shell on least one Polyprop
enamelled bent tubular steel chair. Day himself only
base. realised how ubiquitous
the Polyprop had
become when he
spotted the
polypropylene seat
shells in a makeshift
canoe in Botswana. Day
determined to use the
new technology of
injection-moulding
polypropylene to create
a single form for the
seat shell. The
technology – and Day‘s
design – was so
efficient that Hille
International could
manufacture over
4,000 seat shells each
week.
BALL CHAIR Eero Aarnio from Finland has a
YEAR: 1963-1965 reputation for eccentric industrial
Designer: Eero Aarnio design furniture with a
Material: moulded modernism tilt, and he created
fibreglass-reinforced the ball chair by using one of the
polyester seating section on simplest geometric forms. The
painted aluminium base ball chair was presented to the
with internal fabric-covered modern retro furniture world at
foam upholstery. the International Furniture Fair in
Cologne Germany. Heralded as
the deluxe ball chair it was known
as a "room within a room" and
great for relaxing, reading or even
taking a discreet phone call.
MODEL NO. GF 40/4 One of the most
YEAR: 1964 commercially
Designer: David successful contract
Rowland chairs ever produced,
Material: Moulded the GF 40/4 was
plywood seat and back developed by the US
with chromed steel rod designer David
frame. Rowland with
practicality as the
prime consideration.
Determined to ensure
that his chair would be
as light and easy to
stack as possible,
Rowland strove to
reduce the structure to
its barest elements. He
succeeded in
developing a
comfortable chair for
use in offices,
conference rooms and
other public buildings
that could be stacked
40-high at a height of
just four feet. Rowland
named the chair –
40/4 – after this feat.
When the 40/4 was
unveiled in 1964 at
the Milan XIII
Triennale, its designer
was rewarded with a
gold medal.
SOLUS Influenced by the work
YEAR: 1964 of contemporary
Designer: Gae Aulenti designers, Gae Aulenti
Material: chromed tubular steel was encouraged to
construction with fabric reconsider the
upholstered seat. principles and approach
of modernist pioneers in
his own work. Aulenti‘s
1965 Solus chair not
only evokes stylistic
references to 1920s
modern movement
furniture but uses
similar materials –
leather and tubular
steel.
HAMMOCK PK-24 The PK24 is remarkable for
YEAR: 1965 Kjaerholm‘s sculptural
Designer: Poul Kjaerholm treatment of stainless steel, a
Material: adjustable design, material that, he believed,
stainless steel frame, woven was as pliable and expressive
wicker seat and backrest, as the wood favoured by
neck cushion covered in other Scandinavian
classic black leather. designers. Like the PK22, the
chaise longue is also light,
lean and portable: a practical
piece of modern furniture.
UNIVERSALE Obsessed by making a chair from
YEAR: 1965 a single piece of material,
Designer: Joe Colombo Colombo first tried to develop the
Material: injection-moulded Universale stacking chair in
“cycolac” abs plastic aluminium, but then
experimented with ABS plastic.
Light, portable and easy to clean,
the Universale is also adjustable
as its legs can be unscrewed and
replaced with longer ones.
Colombo strove for two years to
perfect it for mass-production.
PASTILLE The ―Pastille chair or the
YEAR: 1967-1968 ―Gyro‖, is a novel
Designer: Eero Aarnio interpretation of a rocking
Material: moulded fibreglass- chair. With its bold organic
reinforced polyester structure. form, he chair exemplifies
the sophisticated approach
of many scandanavian
designers to synthetic
materials. Designed for
interior and exterior use, it
won an A.I.D. award in
1968.
ADDITIONAL LIVING SYSTEM In 1967, Colombo
YEAR: 1967-1968 unveiled the Additional
Designer: Joe Colombo Living System
Material: textile-covered moulded consisting of moulded
polyurethane foam on tubular iron polyurethane cushions
frame with metal clamps. in six different sizes
which could be pinned
together in different
configurations
according to the users‘
wishes.
SELENE “The key to the Selene
YEAR: 1969 chair was the section of
Designer: Vico Magistretti the leg. I think I dealt with
Material: compression-moulded the problem by using a
“Reglar” fibreglass reinforced particular technology in
polyester structure. the most proper way
possible, but without
allowing myself to be
conditioned by it, or even
inspired by the idea of
modernity for its own
sake.‖

Vico Magistretti
DONNA UP5 The Donna Up5 was regarded as
YEAR: 1969 uncompromisingly radical in 1969.
Designer: Gaetano Pesce Pesce designed it as part of a new
Material: stretch fabric- series of vacuum sealed
covered moulded upholstered furniture which could
polyurethane foam. be bought in as a flat pack and
literally sprang to life once the
vacuum seal was broken. Described
by Pesce as ―transformation
furniture‖, each piece is
compressed to a tenth of its full size
when vacuum-packed in PVC before
expanding to its full size after the
pack is opened. The Up5 became
unexpectedly popular in the UK
when it was featured as the diary
room chair in the 2002 series of the
reality TV show Big Brother.
BIRILLO Colombo designed the Birillo
YEAR: 1969-1970 stool, which takes its name
Designer: Joe Colombo from the Italian word for ―bar
Material: chromed steel and stool‖, during the development
tubular steel frame with of his ambitious Visiona
leather-covered upholstered project to create an imaginary
seat and backrest on living space. Robust and
fibreglass base. versatile with castors tucked
neatly beneath its base, the
Birillo was intended for use in
fashionable 1970s offices as
well as bars.
SYNTHESIS 45 The Synthesis 45 chair
YEAR: 1971 was one of a number of
Designer: Ettore Sottsass designs for the office
Material: injection-moulded abs environment designed by
height-adjustable frame and base Scotsass for Olivetti. With
with textile-covered polyurethane Olivetti‘s Synthesis 45,
foam-upholstered seat and back. Sctosass evolved a
completely integrated
office environment
of technically innovative
and visually seductive
office products including
desks, filing cabinets,
chairs, screens and
accessories. He aimed to
provide a neutral, non-
oppressive setting that
created a feeling of calm
and harmony through
soft colours and
unobtrusive components.
Scotsass‘s collaboration
with Olivetti is among the
most fruitful between an
industrial concern and a
designer.
OMKSTAK The chair itself has a tubular
YEAR: 1971 frame with perforated metal
Designer: Rodney Kinsman sheeting for the seat and
Material: tubular steel back. The Omkstak became
frame with epoxy-coated one of the most popular
pressed sheet steel seat and chairs of the 1970′s. A
back. rational design, which was
conceived specifically for
efficient, inexpensive volume
production, the Omkstak is
now regarded as an enduring
symbol of the ‗high tech‘ style
of interior design.
ALTA LOUNGE CHAIR The first piece of furniture
Year: 1971 legendary Oscar Niemeyer
Designer: Scar Niemeyer designed, along with his
Materials : Lacquered Wood daughter Anna Maria
Niemeyer in 1971. The "Alta"
lounge chair is a great
example of Niemeyer‘s
exquisite curves made
famous by his influential
modern architecture.
Embedded seal certifying its
authenticity by the Fundação
Oscar Niemeyer and part of
Etel collection.
WIGGLE SIDE CHAIR One of Gehry‘s Easy Edges
YEAR: 1972 chairs, the Wiggle is
Designer: Frank O Gehry composed of sixty layers of
Material: laminated cardboard bonded and
cardboard construction. screwed together. Gehry
transformed an everyday
material – the corrugated
cardboard from which his
architectural models were
made - into a solid sculptural
form. ―I began to play with it,
to glue it together and to cut
it into shapes with a hand
saw and a pocket knife,‖ he
recalled.
AEO By the end of the 60′s, a
YEAR: 1972 new generation of radical
Designer: Paolo Deganello Italian architects and
Material: lacquered steel designers was emerging
frame and fibreglass- with an increasingly
reinforced polyamide critical, cynical view of
―duratan‖ base with fabric the modern movement
sleeve and fabric-covered and its faith in
polyurethane foam and technology as a force for
polyester padded cushion progress. Among them
was Paolo Deganello who
co-founded the avant
garde design group
Archizoom in Florence,
with Andrea Branzi. Like
their fellow radicals, they
were interested in
applying their political
and social ideas to
experimental furniture as
well as to architecture. In
the AEO – or Alpha and
Omega – Deganello
attempted to reinvent the
armchair by developing a
collapsible structure
made up of different
parts, each in a material
relating to its function.
ABACUS 700 One of the most prolific
YEAR: 1973 British designers and
Designer: David Mellor design manufacturers
Material: 700 range tubular steel of the 20th century,
frame and steel wire seat. David Mellor is best
known for his elegantly
modern cutlery, but he
has also applied his
metalworking skills to
other products, notably
the Abacus 700 series
of outdoor seating.
Mellor designed this
outdoor seating range
in the fashionable
1970s high-tech style
for Abacus, the
Nottinghamshire-based
manufacturer of
furniture and lighting
for public spaces
ARMCHAIR 4794 An exponent of the post-war
YEAR: 1974 Italian belief that the architect
Designer: Gae Aulenti should adopt a unified
Material: black lacquered approach to design – ―from the
moulded polyurethane spoon to the city‖, as Ernesto
Rogers put it – Aulenti is
passionate about the
importance of each element of
a design project being
particular to its location. As a
furniture and lighting designer
she has relished the
opportunity to experiment with
materials and typologies in
objects that reflect her love of
restrained elegance. When
developing the Armchair 4794,
she softened the plastic into a
gently curvaceous form.
GLASS CHAIR Kuramata took advantage of
YEAR: 1976 a recently-invented adhesive
Designer: Shiro Kuramata to create this tense glass
Material: laminated glass chair, which is perfectly
functional despite its effect
of unreliable fragility and
weightlessness.
CAB 412 It was 1977 when Mario
YEAR: 1976 Bellini developed this
Designer: Mario Bellini brilliant concept… a
Material: enamelled steel flexible steel frame
frame with zip-fastening covered with a ‗skin‘ of
saddle-stitched leather saddle leather. The use
covering of zippers completes the
piece to create a
timeless design that
transcends multiple
environments.
SUPPORTO After leaving school Scott joined
YEAR: 1979 a local furniture manufacturer
Designer: Fred Scott as an apprentice cabinet maker.
Material: polished aluminium He won numerous awards for
frame with gas-cylinder his work and in 1963 was
height-mechanism and textile awarded a place to study
–covered foam-upholstered furniture design at the Royal
seat and back sections College of Art in London. His
design of the Supporto was
based on the scientific research
conducted by Hille and on the
results of the consumer tests of
each prototype.
TORSO Stylistically the Torso is typical of
YEAR: 1982 the post-modernist Italian furniture
Designer: Paolo Deganello of the early 1980s. Evoking the bold
Material: steel frame with colours and blowsy patterns of
elastic webbing, fabric- 1950s suburbia, it celebrates the
covered polyurethane foam kitsch which had long been derided
and polyester padding by the rationalists who had
upholstery dominated modern design.
Composed of interchangeable parts
it can be adapted to meet the
changing needs of its user and
some components, such as the
optional side table, gave it a
remarkable versatility for the time.
VERANDA The Veranda‘s adjustable
YEAR: 1983 frame allows the footrest
Designer: Vico Magistretti to be folded under the seat
Material: painted articulated when not in used and the
tubular steel frame with headrest to be folded
textile-covered polyurethane down to provide a low-back
foam if required. The design‘s
lithe form belies the
strength required to
facilitate this degree of
flexibility.
RICHARD III CHAIR An armchair and a
YEAR: 1983 conversation piece, Richard
Designer: Philippe Starck III is a creative
Material: single shell personification of
moulded structure in rigid Shakespeare‘s character,
structural polyurethane, much like the controversial
finished with polyurethane reign of King Richard III, the
enamel in matte black or intriguing design and
metallic silver. meticulous realization of
the armchair is heavily
centered on duality and
paradox of its namesake;
traditional vs. modern,
concave vs. convex,
powerful vs. delicate,
glorious vs. shameful. The
‗stark‘ contradictions of this
armchair are so complex
that its mere presence in a
room makes it a focal point
and denotes timeless
admiration.
COSTES CHAIR This famous chair inspired
YEAR: 1984 by Philippe Starck was
Designer: Philippe Starck originally designed for
Material: Moulded Cafe Costes in Paris. It
laminated plywood in was designed with three
mahogany on black- legs so that waiters at the
lacquered tubular steel cafe would not have as
frame. Seat upholstered many legs to trip over.
with foam.
APPLE HONEY Apple Honey is a
YEAR: 1984 composition of draconic
Designer: Shiro Kuramata geometrical basic forms,
Material: Painted steel, which nevertheless
chrome-plated tubular steel, remain completely
vinyl. independent, resulting in
functional furniture.
While the square steel
framework stresses the
static of the seat, the
tube, which becomes in
the back the horizontal
semi-circle, plays with
the movement of the
human body. With an
inclination of exactly 45°
it breaks through the
framework and
reinforces at the hind
legs the most strongly
stressed connection of
the construction. At the
front edge of the seat
the framework remains
open, so that the pad
offers a more
comfortable support.
HOW HIGH THE MOON Japanese designer Shiro
YEAR: 1986 Kuramata's "How High the
Designer: Shiro Kuramata Moon" offers a philosophical
Material: epoxy coated nickel- meditation on the form of the
plated steel chair. Here, Kuramata cleverly
toys with one of the most iconic
forms of Western furniture, one
that is almost unknown in
traditional Japanese design.
"How High the Moon" appears
almost fragile, calling into
question its ability to support
the weight of the human body,
and by extension challenging
the definition of the chair as a
functional furniture form.
S-CHAIR Dixon‘s favourite technique in the
YEAR: 1988 1980s was welding and the frame
Designer: Tom Dixon of this chair is welded steel while
Material: bent mild steel the upholstery is made from rush.
frame with either latex, rush At this point in his career, Dixon
or woven cane seating did not use drawings, building the
section chair and altering and changing
the design as it was developed in
his studio. The name of the chair
is a reference to its sinuous shape
which is like the letter ‗S‘. The
frame of this chair was the
original pattern for about 60
chairs made in Dixon‘s London
workshop in the late 1980s.
CROWN CHAIR The flamboyant companion to
YEAR: 1988 Dixon‘s S Chair is the exuberant
Designer: Tom Dixon Crown Chair, which he designed
Material: welded steel and and made in the same year, using
gold leaf the same self-taught welding
process. Like the S Chair and the
late 1980′s work of designers like
Ron Arad and Phillippe Starck,
the Crown Chair trod a fine line
between art and design,
sculpture and furniture. This
striking throne-like chair fulfils
the function of a seat but comes
closer to Dixon‘s definition of art,
because it can be sat upon, but
certainly not in comfort.
DR. GLOB Dr.Glob arose from the idea of
YEAR: 1988 combining different materials to
Designer: Philippe Starck obtain greater structural rigidity
Material: tubular steel solidity while using an innovative
frame with polypropylene design approach. The texture,
seat/front leg section opacity and thickness of the seat
make Dr.Glob a true master piece
of style. All versions of Dr.Glob
chair are stackable.
PLYWOOD CHAIR ‖The main reason why Ply-
YEAR: 1988 Chair looks the way it does
Designer: Jasper Morrison today is that I had to make it
Material: Constructed from myself and the only tools
plywood, glue and screws available to me were an
electric compass saw and a
number of pieces of wood. I
noticed a cushioning effect
when I used only a thin
sheet of plywood for the
seat and bent the crossed
strips underneath it. To a
certain extent this
compensated for the chair‘s
other less comfortable
qualities.‖ -Jasper Morrison.
MISS BLANCH Created for KAGU Tokyo Designer's
YEAR: 1989 Week', Kuramata‘s sublime chair
Designer: Shiro Kuramata Miss Blanche, one of his best-
Material: paper flowers known works, was inspired by the
cast in acrylic resin with corsage worn by Vivien Leigh in the
tubular aluminium legs role of Blanche Dubois in the
movie version of 'A Streetcar
Named Desire'. To create this
chair, he gathered various kinds of
artificial flowers from all over
Japan and made models over and
over until he achieved the illusion
that the flowers were floating in
space.
SILVER As his inspiration, Magistretti
YEAR: 1989 took a 1920′s chair designed
Designer: Vico Magistretti by Marcel Breuer and
Material: tubular manufactured by Thonet in
aluminium frame with Austria. Originally an
injection-moulded architecture student,
polypropylene seat and Magistretti turned to product
back and furniture design in the
late 40′s during Italy‘s post-
war drive of reconstruzione.
Typically he took an existing
object as his starting point
and then rethought it by
assessing whether it could
be improved with the use of
modern materials and
production processes.
W.W. STOOL Starck described them as
YEAR: 1990 ―surrealist or Dada objects‖
Designer: Philippe Starck intended to liberate the user
Material: Hard white ―from the humdrum reality of
maple veneers in 2"-wide, everyday life". Among them was
1/34"-thick strips the W.W. stool, which was
laminated to 6- to 9-ply originally designed by Starck as
thickness with high- part of a fantasy workspace for
bonding urea glue, clear the German film director Wim
plastic glides with matte Wenders and named after him.
frost finish. The only object in the room to go
into production, this stool seems
to ignore all functional
constraints by barely providing a
surface to be sat on.
CROSS CHECK CHAIR Two years after receiving the
YEAR: 1990-1992 Pritzker Prize -- "the Nobel of
Designer: Frank Ghery architecture" – the designer
Material: Hard white maple released the Gehry
veneers in 2"-wide, 1/34"-thick Collection (1990) for Knoll.
strips laminated to 6- to 9-ply Paying homage to his
thickness with high-bonding Canadian roots, he named
urea glue, clear plastic glides the pieces after ice hockey
with matte frost finish. terms; the wafer-thin strips
of laminated maple are
bent, woven and curled into
featherweight yet sturdy
forms, evoking the simple
strength of hockey sticks
themselves.
SOFT HEART Having studied architecture,
YEAR: 1990 Arad (1951-) taught himself
Designer: Ron Arad how to make furniture,
Material: Steel frame, initially from found materials,
polyurethane foam, fabrIC in his London design studio
during the early 1980s
before welding exuberant
forms from metals, such as
steel and aluminium, in
limited editions of sculptural
furniture. Arad then
developed mass-
manufactured versions of
those forms as upholstered
pieces like Soft Heart.
LOUIS 20 The Louis 20 chair is the
YEAR: 1991 product of lengthy technical
Designer: Philippie Starck experiments by Starck and
Material: Blown the engineers of Vitra, the
polypropylene, aluminium Swiss office furniture
manufacturer. Eventually
they succeeded in
combining a shell and two
legs made from blown
polypropylene with an
incongruous pair of
aluminium legs to add
Starck‘s inevitable joke.
AERON The designers, Donald
YEAR: 1992 Chadwick and William
Designer: Donald Chadwick Stumpf, consulted
and William Stumpf numerous
Material: Recycled ergonomists and
aluminium, polyester conducted intensive
consumer tests to
ensure that the Aeron
was as adaptable –
and as comfortable –
as possible for people
of different shapes
and sizes. Among the
Aeron‘s defining
characteristics is its
biomorphic,
curvaceous structure.
As there are no
straight lines in the
human body,
Chadwick and Stumpf
saw no reason to add
them to their chair.
BERLAGE CHAIR The design of the
Year: 2004 Berlage chair from a
Designer:Hutten, Richard rather conceptual
Richard Hutten Studio bv approach to a more
Materials: Oak with nylon traditional timber chair-
making. He designed
the chair for the
restaurant of the
Gemeente Museum in
The Hague. The
renowned architect of
the museum, Hendrik
Petrus Berlage,
provided the name of
the chair. The form of
the Berlage chair is
relatively simple, with
interest arising from the
random lines of the
strapped upholstery
and
the angled construction
of the rear legs and
stretchers. The
prototype (W.25-2009)
is in several ways
different from this final
version.