- Designed By - Charles Rennie Mackintosh
- When -
1904
- Made From - Black
Laquered Ash
- Manufactured By - Cassina
- More Info - This
chair was designed for Miss Cranston for her Willow Street Tea Room in Glasgow. It
was placed in the centre of the two ground floor saloons. The Willow Chair's
curved back forms the pattern of a stylised tree to mimic the name of the tea room and the lattice is made
from a series of short horizontal insets between the continuous verticals
slats. There is a storage
unit underneath the seat cushion. This chair is available upholstered in
leather, fabric or velvet
in a variety of colours.
- Designed By - Frank Lloyd Wright
- When -
1937
- Made From - Cherry
wood, plastic seat, polyurethane foam and fabric upholstery
- Manufactured By - Cassina
- More Info - This
chair was designed for Herbert Johnson’s house and is actually a reworking of a
previous heavier version that he designed in 1904. It is available upholstered
in fabric or leather.
- 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 - Gerrit Rietveld
- When - 1935
- Made From - Steel
frame, Polyurethane foam and polyester padding and fabric upholstery
- Manufactured By - Cassina
- More Info - This
low armchair is not one of Rietveld’s best known designs
but is an interesting and quite modern looking chair. It was actually his first
upholstered lounge chair design. It has lovely white stitching along the edges,
which stands out especially well against black fabric. It is available upholstered
in fabric or leather in many different colours and has been manufactured by Cassina since 1988 which
marked 100 years since his birth. There are also two-seater and three-seater sofa versions of it.
- 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 -
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
- When -
1900
- Made From -
Oak and upholstery
- Manufactured By - Cassina
- More Info -
This tall, elegant chair was designed for the Ingram Street Tea Rooms in
Glasgow. This high back version is 148cm tall. There is also a lower back
dining chair version. It is available in natural or black lacquered oak or ash.
The seat is available upholstered in leather and a variety of fabrics.
- Designed By - Mario Bellini
- When - 1977
- Made From - Steel
frame and leather
- Manufactured By - Cassina
- More Info - This
chair has an enamelled steel frame with a leather skin on top that zips up at
the sides. It has a very simple form but the leather covering gives it a twist
and makes it very tactile. It received the 1979 ASID & ROSCOE awards and is
included in collections in the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum
of Art. The design is also available as an armchair and a barstool and it is
available in 9 colours.
- Designed By - Charles Rennie Mackintosh
- When -
1902
- Made From - Ashwood
frame stained black and velvet seat upholstery
- Manufactured By - Cassina
- More Info - This
chair is named after the Hill House in Scotland, and was exclusively designed
for the 'White Bedroom'. It was designed to be decorative and is certainly a
very aesthetically pleasing design. It is geometric and minimalist and looks
quite modern for when it was designed. The high back supports the body and it
is actually very stable. It is 141cm tall. The chair is available upholstered
in many colours of fabric and more recently, leather.
- Designed By -
Gerrit Rietveld
- When -
1918
- Made From - Wood
- Manufactured By - Cassina
- More Info - This
iconic lounge chair is one of the most well known designs from the De Stijl art movement and one
of the first 3D pieces done in the style. The colours were added in 1923. It
was influenced by the artwork of Piet Mondrian, as it is made up of straight
lines and only uses black and the three primary colours: blue, red and yellow.
It is shown in the permanent collection at MoMA. A
white version was also made. A self assembly kit for one is now available so
you can make your own.
- Designed By - Gerrit Rietveld
- When -
1934
- Made From - Elmwood
- Manufactured By - Utrecht, then Cassina from 1971
- More Info - Rietveld
wanted to make a chair from one piece of material but this wasn’t possible at
the time so the chair had to be made from four pieces. It is not particularly
comfortable but it’s simplicity and beauty are what make it a great chair.
Later examples were painted white with green or red edges. The back is joined
to the seat with a dovetail joint. It is included in the permanent collection
of the Museum of Modern Art. It is available in natural ash or cherry wood as
well as stained in red, blue, yellow, white and black.
- 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.
