- Designed By - Kaare Klint
- When -
1927
- Made From - Stained
oak and leather
- Manufactured By - Rud. Rasmussens
- More Info -
This stool gets it’s name because the legs and twisted like propellers and when
folded together they form a smooth perfect cylinder. Although this stool was
designed in 1927 it was only officially presented at the Joiners Guild
Furniture Exhibition in 1964 and it has been in continuous production ever
since. It comes with a tray which can be fitted into the top which turns it
into a table. It is also available made from ash and the seat in white, tan or
black coloured leather.
- Designed By - Eileen Gray
- When - 1929
- Made From - Chrome-pleated
tubular steel, leather
- Manufactured By - ClassiCon
for Aram Designs
- More Info - This
very unique chair was designed by Gray’s for her own house. It was named after
the Michelin Man or Monsieur Bibendum because it looks
like him. It is quite enclosed and padded
making the sitter feel protected and comfortable. It is available in
black, brown, red or white leather or fabric.
- Designed By - Le
Courbusier
- When - 1928
- Made From - Stainless
steel, leather and polyurethane foam
- Manufactured By - Originally by Thonet, Cassina
from 1965
- More Info - This
is a very sophisticated, boxy, masculine chair which is very popular for
offices and is certainly a design icon. What makes this chair different and
interesting is that the tubular framework is on the outside and therefore on
show which is quite a statement and it challenges the concept of upholstered
furniture, but it makes no difference to the comfort. Le Corbusier described it as a ‘cusion basket’. The chair
was designed for the Salon d’Automne in Paris in 1929. It
is included in the design collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The chairs are now foam padded but were originally stuffed with down. They were
originally upholstered in black or white leather but now a range of brighter
colours are available as well as cow hide. There is a smaller version called
the ‘petite modèle. There is also a
two-seater and three-seater sofa version of this
chair.
- Designed By -
Ludwig Mies van eer Rohe
- When - 1927
- Made From - Polished
tubular steel frame, cow hide
- Manufactured By - Knoll
- More Info - This
chair was designed as part of Ludwig’s contribution to the Weissenhof exhibit in
Stuttgart, Germany. It is lovely minimal but curvy chair that can look both
smart and decorative. It comes in either black, light brown or beige cow hide.
It is also available upholstered in painted canning or padded leather.
- Designed By - Mart Stam
- When - 1926
- Made From - Lacquered
cast tubular steel and leather
- Manufactured By - SCP
- More Info - This
is one of the earliest examples of a cantilever chair and it has a very springy
frame. The leather or fabric seat and back are held in place by lacing which
looks like the back of a corset.
- Designed By - Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Periand
- When -
1928
- Made From - Tubular
stainless steel and leather upholstery
- Manufactured By - Cassina
- More Info - This
chair was designed as part of the 'Living equipment' collection by le Corbusier
at the Salon d'Automne in Paris 1929. It
has a swivelling seat, designed to make it easier to talk to people around you
without straining your neck or back. It is currently included in the design
collection of the Museum Of Modern Art. It is available upholstered in black
leather and cream, grey, red or black fabric. The tubular steel frame is
available in polished chrome, matte black, gloss black, gloss grey, gloss light
blue and gloss green. There is also now an ‘LC7 Outdoor’ edition.
- Designed By - Gerrit Rietveld
- When - 1923
- Made From - Painted
plywood and chromed steel bolts
- Manufactured By - G.A. Van De Groenkan
- More Info - Rietveld was commissioned to
make furniture for the Katholiek Militair Tehuis (Catholic
Serviceman’s Home) in Utrecht in 1923. There is also a matching table and
stool: the ‘Military Table’ and ‘Military Stool’. They are available in black,
grey, white, black and red, black and white and black and yellow.
- Designed By - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
- When - 1927
- Made From - Chrome-plated
tubular steel and leather
- Manufactured By - Thonet
- More Info - This
cantilever side chair was one of many similar tubular steel chairs designed by
architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and interior
designer Lilly Reich, for the buildings van der Rohe designed. It is
available with a wicker seat and back and with or without arms.
- Designed By - Marcel Breuer
- When - 1928
- Made From - Tubular
steel, solid beech, woven cane
- Manufactured By - Standard-Möbel, then Thonet, then Gallina, then Knoll
- More Info - This
is one of the best known and most popular of all cantilever chair designs. It
was originally called the B32 but in 1960 it was renamed Cesca after Breuer’s
daughter Francesca. It was designed by Breuer while he was still teaching at
the Bauhaus and is a popular choice for a dining chair. An original is included
in MoMA’s permanent collection
and the curator there, Cara McCarty, said “it’s among the 10 most important
chairs of the 20th century”. It is also available fully upholstered and with
arms.
- Designed By - Gerrit Rietveld
- When -
1923
- Made From -
Painted Wood
- Manufactured By - G.A. Van De Groenkan
- More Info - The Berlin
chair was part of an ensemble of furnishings designed by Rietveld when he was
collaborating with the painter Vilmos Huszar in the design of the ‘Juryfreie Kunstschau’ exhibition in Berlin
in 1923. It is painted black,
white and three shades of grey,
to complement and
contrast the bright primary coloured blocks that Huszar
had painted on the walls of the exhibition space. This
is the most abstract
and sculptural of his furniture. It is also Rietveld’s
first asymmetrical chair. Both right-handed and left-handed versions were made.
This chair is sometimes referred to as the ‘Plank Chair’ due to it being made
up of panels and slats of wood.
- Designed
By - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich
- When
- 1929
- Made
From - Flat steel bars and leather
- Manufactured
By - Knoll
- More
Info - This chair, sometimes
referred to as the Pavilion chair, was originally designed to provide seating
for the King and Queen of Spain at Barcelona’s 1929 World’s fair. Today it is an iconic luxury piece of
furniture and is a must have piece for wealthy architects, designers and
important buildings and is most often seen in the lobbies of large
multinationals. It even got the Museum of Modern Art Award in 1977. It has an
X-frame made from two flat steel bars which was inspired by Ancient Egyptian
thrones. The original upholstery was white, black and tan tufted leather. There
is a matching ottoman and sofa versions of it have recently been made.
- Designed By - Marcel
Breuer
- When - 1922
- Made From - Oak
with wool upholstery
- Manufactured By - Bauhaus Cabinet Workshop
- More Info - This
chair, sometimes called the slatted chair, was designed by Breuer while he was at the
Bauhaus. He wanted to create a chair using minimal materials and cost and this
is his solution. The design was also based was based on Breuer’s anatomical research to support
the heaviest bones of the human body in
maximum comfort. It was first exhibited
at the Kunstammlungen, Weimar in 1922. The fabric was
produced in the Weaving Workshop at
the Bauhaus. It is clearly influenced by the style of De Stijl and the work of Gerrit Rietveld.
- Designed By - Marcel Breuer
- When -
1925
- Made From - Bars
of chrome plated tubular steel and strips of black leather
- Manufactured By - Thonet
- More Info - This
is the best and most well-known example of Breuer’s revolutionary tubular steel
furniture. It is a re-working of the traditional club chair so it was
originally called the B3 Club Chair but then later become known as the Wassily
chair after the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky gave the design his approval.
It was the first ever chair to have a bent steel frame and was inspired by the
curved tubular steel handle bars on Breuer’s ‘Adler’ bicycle. The prototypes
were produced with the help of a plumber to do the welding. He had to use steel
tubes that did not have a seam so that they did not break when bent. The strips
of fabric are carefully arranged so the body never comes into contact with the
cold metal. Breuer said ‘when I saw the completion of my steel chair, I thought
that of all my works, this would attract the most criticism. It is the most
extreme in its outward appearance and material expression; it is the least
artistic, the most logical, the most ‘liveable’, the most machine-like. What
happened was the opposite of what I expected’. It is now one of the most famous 20th century chairs and
is a modernistic icon. The Wassily Chair is a timeless design and is still in
production now. It looks functional and stylish and is often seen in offices
and showrooms.
- Designed By - Frank Lloyd Wright
- When - 1921
- Made From - Oak
frame and oil cloth upholstery
- Manufactured By - An unknown Japanese Company
- More Info - Designed
for the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo which Lloyd Wright was the architect for. The
hexagon shapes on this chair are also seen on the ceilings, walls and even a
coffee set also designed by Lloyd Wright for the building. The Hotel was
demolished in 1968.
- Designed By - Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand
- When - 1928
- Made From - Sling
seat, metal frame
- Manufactured By - Originally by Thonet, Cassina
from 1965
- More Info - This
is a very elegant but modern chaise lounge which is shaped to fit the human
body making it very ergonomic and comfortable. It was shown at the Salon d’Automne in Paris in 1929 and
is now included in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New
York. It is Le Corbusier’s most famous and
successful design. He nicknamed it the ‘relaxing machine. It is available
covered in leather, canvas pony skin or fabric.
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