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 planes,
Dimensions: 86.7 x 66 cm x much as he did in his
83.8 cm x 33 cm (h) 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 a
DESIGNER: MARCEL BREUER 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 when
Year: 1926 the Dutch architect and
Designer: Mart Stam designer Martinus Adrianus
Material: Lacquered, Cast Stam, known as Mart,
Tubular Steel Frame, Internally started playing with bits of
Reinforced With Metal Rods, gas piping. Using 10
Fabric Seat And Back 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 der
Designer: Ludwig Mies Van Rohe (1886-1969) collaborated
Der Rohe with the interior designer Lilly
Material: chrome-plated bent Reich (1885-1947) on the
tubular steel frame and development of furniture for
stretcher with “eisengarn” his architectural projects. By
textile seat and back 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/ dining
stained bentwood and woven chair and can adapt to virtually
cane seats and backs. 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 and
Material: chromed bent tubular tilted seat provide plenty
steel frame, calfskin seat and back of leg support while
with slung leather arms 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 of
Material: CHROMED BENT 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 – was
DESIGNER: Le Corbusier , presented at the "Salone d'Automne"
pierre jeanneret and Charlotte in Paris in 1929 as part of the
Perriand "Equipement interieur d'une
Material: Chrome plated habitation (Interior equipment of a
tubular steel frame on black room)".
enameled base with leather It is constituted by two independent
upholstered cushions 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 or
YEAR: 1928-1929 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 seat
TUBULAR steel frame with and back in luxurious leather.
leather-upholstered seat and She envisaged the back as
back rail 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 the
der Rohe S-curve of the bar forming
Material: bent chromed flat the seat and back legs,
steel frame with leather straps making an intersection of
and leather-buttoned the two. This simple shape
upholstered cushions. 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 chair
der Rohe designed for the bedroom
Material: bent chromed flat of the Tugendhat House in
steel frame with upholstered Brno, Czech Republic.
wood seating section 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 Tugendhat
70) chair is somewhat of a
YEAR: 1929-1930 hybrid of Mies van der
DESIGNER: Ludwig Mies van Rohe's 1929 Barcelona chair
der Rohe and 1929-1930 Brno chair.
Material: bent chromed flat Like the Barcelona chair, the
steel frame, tubular steel Tugendhat chair has a large
connecting spring, buttoned padded leather seat and back,
leather-covered upholstered supported by leather straps
seat and back sections 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 Paimio
DESIGNER: Alvar Aalto Sanatorium in the late 1920s, he
Material: bent laminated and approached the project as if he
solid birch frame with was a patient. No detail escaped
lacquered bent plywood seat him: from the meticulously
section 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 subtle
NO. 31 curved form than the
YEAR: 1933 Armchair 41 but just as
DESIGNER: Alvar Aalto comfortable. The frame was
Material: bent laminated and thicker from the front of the
solid birch frame with seat down as there was
lacquered bent plywood seat more stress on the frame
section 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 they
DESIGNER: alvar aalto were exhibited in 1933 with
Material: bent laminated birch 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 role
DESIGNER: Gerrit Rietveld as a radical designer,
Material: oak construction with architect and member of the
brass fittings 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, for
seat and back, rubber feet 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 in
YEAR: 1935-1936 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, a
section 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 he
webbing 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 Swiss
YEAR: 1938 National Exhibition in
Designer: Hans Coray Zurich, organised a open
Material: bent and pressed competition to design the
aluminium construction. 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 Chair,
YEAR: 1938 Butterfly Chair, Safari
Designer: Jorge Ferrari-hardoy, Chair, Sling Chair, or Wing
Juan Kurchan And Antonio Chair—was designed in
Bonet 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.”

http://www.dwr.com/product/living/chairs-recliners/chairs/pelican-chair-
fabric-a.do?sortby=ourPicks
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 presented
seating section 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 with
YEAR: 1947-1948 the human form in mind as
Designer: Eero Saarinen the end user of the furniture.
Material: bent tubular steel The Womb chair envelops
frame with fabric-covered the persons and creates a safe
upholstered moulded fibreglass and comfortable place to curl
seat shell and latex foam up and relax. It's organic
cushions, nylon glides 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. It
on a wood and steel rod base 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 their
“Eifel tower” metal rod base with ideas and prototypes by
rubber shock mounts 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 birch shells made of fibreglass-
sled base with rubber shock reinforced plastic were
mounts 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 known
CHAIR as the “Wishbone”, is Wegner’s
YEAR: 1950 most commercially successful
Designer: Hans J. Wegner 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 company
and flat steel frame with and distributed by Steph Simon
moulded plywood seat section 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 carl Jacobs but was
Solid Beech Frame 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 (1907-
metal rod base 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 by
woven rush seat 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 that
Designer: Harry Bertoia they are mainly made of
Material: vinyl-coated bent and air, just like light
welded steel rod construction sculptures,” observed
with loose seat cushion 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 and
YEAR: 1951-1952 svelte form, the Ant chair
Designer: Arne Jacobsen by Arne Jacobsen is
Material: painted plywood seat extremely comfortable
connected to tubular steel due to its shell design
base , 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 in
YEAR: 1954 New York after dropping out
Designer: Isamu Noguchi of medical school in the
Material: painted wood seat 1920s and then moved to
and base-connected with Paris where he worked as an
chrome steel rod structure 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 in
YEAR: 1955 1955 at the H55 exhibition in
Designer: Arne Jacobsen Sweden, and the appeal of
Material: Painted moulded what remains one of the most
plywood seat connected to copied chairs of the modern
chromed bent tubular steel base era is its shape. The chair is
with rubber cap feet 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 20th
Material: fabric-covered, foam- century furniture icon. It has a
upholstered steel shell and simple, striking shape, and it's
chrome tubular metal and metal also a very comfortable place
rod legs 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 after
with brass stretcher 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 Eames’
MODEL NO. 671 studio was devoted to
YEAR: 1956 developing mass-manufactured
Designer: Charles And Ray furniture at affordable prices,
Eames but the Lounge Chair was an
Material: rosewood-faced exception. It was a design that
moulded plywood seat shells was more opulent that what
with leather-covered cushions, they usually did. It combined
cast aluminium base 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 modern
Designer: George Nelson design, with a recognizable
Material: painted tubular steel look and fun, unique style.
frame with vinyl-covered latex Some may find it surprising
foam-filled circular pads that the Nelson Marshmallow
backed with steel disks. 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 in
moulded fibreglass seat shell the U.S. home." Later that
with loose upholstered latex 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 as
foam-upholstered moulded 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 were
Material: fabric covered , shaped by an assumption of
foam-upholstered moulded materials' natural ways of
fibreglass seat shell on a resisting. In other words, he
swivelling cast aluminium could make them go only so
base. 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 during
Eames its development was
Material: enameled aluminum often referred to as the
frame and base with textile- “Leisure Group”.
upholstered sling seat
PANTON Sexy, sleek and a
YEAR: 1959-1960 technical first – as the
Designer: Verner Panton first cantilevered chair to
Material: moulded “baydur” be made from a single
(pu-hard foam) construction 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 chair.
enamelled bent tubular steel Day himself only realised
base. 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 modernism
Material: moulded tilt, and he created the ball chair by
fibreglass-reinforced using one of the simplest geometric
polyester seating section on forms. The ball chair was presented
painted aluminium base to the modern retro furniture world
with internal fabric-covered at the International Furniture Fair
foam upholstery. 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 successful
Designer: David contract chairs ever
Rowland produced, the GF 40/4
Material: Moulded was developed by the
plywood seat and back US designer David
with chromed steel rod Rowland with
frame. 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 principles
upholstered seat. 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, was
stainless steel frame, woven as pliable and expressive as the
wicker seat and backrest, wood favoured by other
neck cushion covered in Scandinavian designers. Like
classic black leather. the PK22, the chaise longue is
also light, lean and portable: a
practical piece of modern
furniture.
UNIVERSALE Obsessed by making a chair from a
YEAR: 1965 single piece of material, Colombo
Designer: Joe Colombo first tried to develop the Universale
Material: injection-moulded stacking chair in aluminium, but
“cycolac” abs plastic 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 in
frame with metal clamps. six different sizes which
could be pinned together
in different
configurations according
to the users’ wishes.
SELENE “The key to the Selene chair
YEAR: 1969 was the section of the leg. I
Designer: Vico Magistretti think I dealt with the
Material: compression-moulded problem by using a
“Reglar” fibreglass reinforced particular technology in the
polyester structure. 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 upholstered
covered moulded furniture which could be bought in as
polyurethane foam. 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 from
Designer: Joe Colombo the Italian word for “bar stool”,
Material: chromed steel and during the development of his
tubular steel frame with ambitious Visiona project to
leather-covered upholstered create an imaginary living
seat and backrest on space. Robust and versatile with
fibreglass base. 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 back.
Material: tubular steel The Omkstak became one of
frame with epoxy-coated the most popular chairs of the
pressed sheet steel seat and 1970′s. A rational design,
back. 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 and
sleeve and fabric-covered its faith in technology as a
polyurethane foam and force for progress. Among
polyester padded cushion 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 of
Material: 700 range tubular steel the 20th century, David
frame and steel wire seat. 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 approach
Material: black lacquered to design – “from the spoon to
moulded polyurethane 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 a
YEAR: 1976 recently-invented adhesive to
Designer: Shiro Kuramata create this tense glass chair,
Material: laminated glass 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 of
covering 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 as
Designer: Fred Scott an apprentice cabinet maker. He
Material: polished aluminium won numerous awards for his
frame with gas-cylinder work and in 1963 was awarded a
height-mechanism and textile place to study furniture design at
–covered foam-upholstered the Royal College of Art in
seat and back sections 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 the
YEAR: 1982 post-modernist Italian furniture of the
Designer: Paolo Deganello early 1980s. Evoking the bold colours
Material: steel frame with and blowsy patterns of 1950s
elastic webbing, fabric- suburbia, it celebrates the kitsch
covered polyurethane foam which had long been derided by the
and polyester padding rationalists who had dominated
upholstery 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 to
Designer: Vico Magistretti be folded under the seat
Material: painted articulated when not in used and the
tubular steel frame with headrest to be folded down
textile-covered polyurethane to provide a low-back if
foam 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 Cafe
Material: Moulded Costes in Paris. It was
laminated plywood in designed with three legs so
mahogany on black- that waiters at the cafe
lacquered tubular steel would not have as many
frame. Seat upholstered with legs to trip over.
foam.
APPLE HONEY Apple Honey is a
YEAR: 1984 composition of draconic
Designer: Shiro Kuramata geometrical basic forms,
Material: Painted steel, which nevertheless remain
chrome-plated tubular steel, completely independent,
vinyl.  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 of
Designer: Tom Dixon this chair is welded steel while the
Material: bent mild steel upholstery is made from rush. At
frame with either latex, rush this point in his career, Dixon did
or woven cane seating not use drawings, building the chair
section 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
YEAR: 1989 Designer's Week', Kuramata’s
Designer: Shiro Kuramata sublime chair Miss Blanche, one of
Material: paper flowers cast his best-known works, was inspired
in acrylic resin with tubular by the corsage worn by Vivien Leigh
aluminium legs in the 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 “from
Material: Hard white the humdrum reality of everyday
maple veneers in 2"-wide, life". Among them was the W.W.
1/34"-thick strips stool, which was originally
laminated to 6- to 9-ply designed by Starck as part of a
thickness with high- fantasy workspace for the German
bonding urea glue, clear film director Wim Wenders and
plastic glides with matte named after him. The only object
frost finish. 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 Collection
veneers in 2"-wide, 1/34"-thick (1990) for Knoll. Paying
strips laminated to 6- to 9-ply homage to his Canadian
thickness with high-bonding roots, he named the pieces
urea glue, clear plastic glides after ice hockey terms; the
with matte frost finish. 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 ergonomists
Material: Recycled and conducted intensive
aluminium, polyester 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 Berlage
Year: 2004 chair from a rather
Designer:Hutten, Richard conceptual approach to a
Richard Hutten Studio bv more traditional timber
Materials: Oak with nylon 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.