Thread: Top 3 chair designs ?

Chairs is one area in furniture were innovation in the last 100 years has really moved forward. Designers and especially architects have found this genre irresistible. Look at the chairs by

• Charles & Ray Eames
• Thonet
• Hans J. Wegner
• Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool
• Bauhaus
• Frank Lloyd Write
• John Makepeace

I wrote an essay on Five-sequential-iconic-chairs-20th-century

There is also two really good books


[ame=http://www.amazon.com/500-Chairs-Celebrating-Traditional-Innovative/dp/1579908721/ref=pd_sim_b_2]Amazon.com: 500 Chairs: Celebrating Traditional & Innovative Designs (500 Series) (9781579908720): Ray Hemachandra, Craig Nutt: Books[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/1000-Chairs-Charlotte-Fiell/dp/3822857602]Amazon.com: 1000 Chairs (9783822857601): Charlotte Fiell, Peter Fiell, Simone Philippi: Books[/ame]


Good to see someone here is living in the 21st century.

Iconic chairs. hmm

Sam Maloof's Rocking Chair
The Z chair
Gustav Stickley's Morris Chair

But on a personal note, I'd say the adironack chair, Rocker's Rocker (cause I've sat in it and didn't want to get out of it) and David Savage's Fenella Chair. that twiddly bit gets me every single time!

My two favorites are-

Mackintosh Argyle Chair (pic 1)
George Nakashima Conoid chair.(pic 2)

I have made a few Conoid repros, and would love nothing more than to do an Argyle copy.

Adding to that, the book '1000 Chairs' by Charlotte & Peter Fiell is the definitive guide to the greatest chair designs from Samuel Gragg in 1808 up until Ross Lovegrove in 1997. A must read if you’re a chair lover. [edit- didnt see thumbsucker already mentioned it ]

+1 to the Adirondack chair, an iconic image of rural North American houses. 'Tis something I've longed to make but have never found the time.

Not going to be an easy one for your students, but I think Thonet's bentwood chairs (go to history) are iconic. Especially the number 14 (go to products > thonet >chairs).

Cheers
Michael

Hi Underfoot.

How far back do you want to go, and remembering that they're first year students?

Sheraton/Chippendale were some of the first to standardise manufacture - but a shield back chair or a ribbon-back chair is definitely NOT first year.

I like Hepplewhite as well from this era - his chairs are less fussy. A repro Hepplewhite chair is the TAFE introduction to chairmaking in third year.

In the 18th Century, Thonet (mass steam bending) is an option, as mentioned. I think from memory, they were about 1860.

Late 1890's is the Mackintosh/Art Nouveau era - I was going to mention the one from the tearoom that's posted above. Once again, rectilinear so it may be easier.

Other Art Nouveau Designs come to mind, but I'm having a mental blank after a hard day when it comes to the *designer/s*

Going forward to the 1920's, the Bauhaus is one - the Rietveld chair is an option.

I've got a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright inspired designs here for repair - they should also be easy to copy.

Other Iconic Designs - Plywood - Ray Eames

Danish post-war design - all iconic, and easy to make. Iconic more for lack of materials/economy. Goes back to basics - eg: 5°setback of the back, 430mm high chair front, 415mm high chair back, lumbar rail 110mm above seat, etc... Fundamentals of chair design.

Makepeace had a couple of iconic chairs, I don't recall Alan Peters' name being associated with any - other recent UK design innovators = ???

Just ideas off the top of my head in random, semi-sequential order. I haven't read the replies below other than to glance at a couple of pictures, so they may be mentioned already.

Cheers,

eddie

Originally Posted by underfoot

The first one is the Rietvelt blue chair (see pic) (made in 1917)

A superb choice. The first Red/Blue versions did not appear until around 1923 and the timber sections varied a little.

I have made two Red/Blue chairs so far and my wife has made red and blue flat (20mm thick) cushions to suit. Although the posture is perfect there is little cushioning effect from the ply.

As well as the ergonomics and the concept of mass production, I like the quirky look that belies a chair getting on for 100 years old.

Perhaps the second and third chairs should be Reitveld too. I noticed Rufly Rustic included his "Zig zag" chair. There is also his "Berlin" chair.

If it were up to me I'd make all three Red/Blues!

Regards
Paul

Iconic Red & Blue chairs.

In no particular order ...
The Rietveld Red/Blue chair, for breaking a chair down to its elements,
The Thonet model No.14, the greatest number of any single design ever produced, and still going strong,
The Eames LCW, for innovative use of ply bent into compound curves,
The Balans chair for another take on how we sit,
Alvo Aaltar's X600 stool, because it looks so nice, and
Take your pick from pretty well anything of John Makepeace's

Thrown chair
Back stool
Wainscot chair
Stick chair

I don't know what sort of gear your students have, but for me the most iconic chair is the Arne Jacobsen Series 7

Another good one is the Poul Jensen "Z" chair

Originally Posted by underfoot

As a project for 1st year furniture design students I'm getting them to make a series of models of "classic or iconic" chairs.
The first one is the Rietvelt blue chair (see pic) (made in 1917)
Like it or not it was a transitional piece and changed the way people looked at furniture design..
Anyone out there like to add to the list of "Iconic chairs" I can get my students to make?
I'll post wip pics of their projects..

That's one f**king ugly chair!

Originally Posted by pellcorp

That's one f**king ugly chair!

Concise ...but not particularly constructive pellcorp..
chairs achieve iconic status for various reasons..aesthetics (or even comfort) are not necessarily criteria for inclusion.
Thanks everyone for your input.. definately a few "must haves" in those suggestions, (even a few I didn't know)
I'll put together a list of five (after getting the students to research their history)
and post them up...that should start some robust conversation.

Originally Posted by pellcorp

That's one f**king ugly chair!

Im with you, even though underfoot correctly pointed out chairs achieve iconic status for various reasons, I have never understood the attraction of this over grown pile of colored match sticks. Its hideous.

For mine, I would go with one chair from back in Woodwoulds days, one from the Art Nouveau/Arts and Crafts period, one post war Danish, that way you get the best of both worlds.