DESIGN STREET: The art of seating: Chairs with art, design, brains and conscience

The art of Seating: The needs of users have grown into the perfection high, and many of the designers have come up with many innovative designs and high class products. From the times of the people using stone's tree stumps to sit apart from just squatting on the earth, the modern design for seating solutions have come a long way. From bizarre to most efficient workplace seating solutions, the modern world is full of great chairs. Below are some that I have come across and like. But to begin with let me give you one, which I find more interesting which was show cased in Orgatec 2008 at cologne, Germany.

Perception Furniture for Inspiration

So here you go for a display of some interesting seating solutions from across the world. Hope you like it.

lc4-chaise-longue

A hallmark of contemporary design, this chaise longue was created by three architects who were forerunners of the International Style. An adjustable chromed-steel cradle rests on a black steel base. Broad rubber straps support the upholstered cushion with attached headrest and double-reinforced edge stitching to maintain its shape over time. Manufactured by Cassina under license by the Le Corbusier Foundation. For my Indian friends, Le Corbusier was also the designer of the Chandigarh the modern city on India in North.

Lounge chair and Ottoman by Charles and Ray Eames

Today it's one of the most widely recognized and imitated furniture designs, but Charles Eames' goal for the lounge chair and ottoman was much more modest. He wanted to build a chair with "the warm receptive look of a well used first baseman's mitt." So he nestled supple leather-covered cushions in molded-plywood, veneer-covered forms. He connected them with die-cast aluminum back braces. He set them all on bases painted black with bright polished aluminum trim and adjustable stainless steel glides.

Now an icon of modern design, the chair has been produced continuously for nearly 50 years by the original manufacturer, Herman Miller®. This authorized version is made of molded, seven-ply veneered plywood and is upholstered in top-grain black leather entirely by hand.

I have talked about the Charles and Ray Eames in my previous blogs, if you would like to read more please click here - Charles and Ray Eames- My blog post (you will have to scroll down to read it)

Panton chair

Verner Panton

The first one-piece cantilever plastic chair, this handsome, sculptural design heralded the use of molded plastic in home and office decor. Having been through several stages following the developments of plastic, it is now reissued in durable, extruded polypropylene. Made by Vitra. For our Indian friends, this is the chair used in the Ad "AAM SUTRA" where Katrina Kaif is sitting and drinking or rather slurping Slice.

Panton - two level seat

two level seat by Verner Panton

design by verner panton in 1973, made by metzeler schaum Germany , wood and upholster fabric - a very rare in a very very limited edition

Lou Lou ghost chair for Kids

Philippe Starck’s  Louis Ghost Chair for Kartell is a prime example of taking something staid like a Louis XVI chair and transforming into an icon for a new age. And now it’s gone through another evolution. Few years back at the Milan furniture fair the Lou Lou Ghost Chair for kids was launched. 

Aeron Chair

The Aeron chair is a product of Herman Miller designed in 1994 by Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf. It is an ergonomic chair that is regarded by many users as inherently very comfortable due to its wide range of fit (available in three sizes) and adjustability. Its novel design has gained it a spot in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection. Its also the most sold chair in the world.

Z Chair

Giovanni Pagnotta attended Parsons School of Design and obtained a Masters of Architecture degree at Yale University, receiving the Eero Saarinen Schlarship for Design Excellence. His work has been featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami and at the Yale University Art Gallery. 

Mi Chair

Mr Pagnotta recently introduced his latest product, the Mi (pronunced ‘me’) Chair, a recyclable molded polypropylene chair.  Most notably, the Mi chair is comfortable, beautiful, and made in the United States.

"What feeds my soul is the challenge of deciphering the secrets of a particular material and translating those discoveries into something unexpected and beautiful." - Giovanni Pagnotta

Now just moving on to some of the daily to use chairs, workstation chairs or if you may like to call it, Task Chairs are listed below which I have liked. These are recently launched products so they have not reached the iconic level of the chairs mentioned above.

Embody

The manufacturers of this Chair Herman Miller says about the chair, "True innovation manifests itself in many forms. With Embody, innovation oozes from every contact point your body makes with the chair. Embody makes you feel like you're floating. It promotes health-positive sitting. It helps you focus on your work and think more clearly. In fact, it's the first work chair that supports your body and your mind." and I tend to agree...

The Embody was designed in the design studio of Jeff Weber and the late Bill Stumpf and launched in 2008.

Zody
Pic Curtesy GEEK.COM

Ergonomically and environmentally friendly. Zody is the first task chair certified Cradle to Cradle™ Gold by MBDC, and the first to be endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association for science-based comfort and ergonomics. User control makes it popular around the office, and its global design makes Zody seating right for any work environment. Zody was designed by ITO design in Germany, in collaboration with the Haworth Design Studio. This is, no doubt, one of the very best workstation chairs that I have had used in profession.

Think Chair

Think is the chair with a brain and a conscience manufactured by Steel Case as they say. "It's intelligent enough to understand how you sit and adjust itself intuitively. It's thoughtful enough to measure and minimize its lifelong impact on the environment.

Designed by Glen Oliver Low, Think chair is the first-ever certified level™ 3 product, the highest BIFMA e3 standard. It looks good too, in my opinion.