coparrcrares

Style and simplicity: Design classics i in the world of chairs never go out of fashion

Edith
Saatkamp

DESIGN OF THE TIMES

RECENTLY I saw a woman
emerge from the North
Vancouver flea market. She
had the Cheshire cat smile
‘on her face and a Thonet

chair tucked under her arm.

This simple chair is a design
classic that you may recognize as
‘the humble-looking seat in your
kitchen. But did you know that
Telstoy wrote his novels on it and
that Lenin sat on it while plotting ©
the Russian Revolution?

. Thonet chairs

- We find classics in clothing, in
‘literature, music and film. They

» may go out of fashion for a while,
but eventually they return and are

admired as if they were brand new
inventions.

Classics tend to have something
in common: style and simplicity.

Michael ‘Thonet’s famous
“Vienna cafe chair” made its debut
in 1859 and has bee mass-pro-
duced since 1874.

I is made of beechwood which
is steam-heated until it becomes pli-
able and can be bent into shape. it
was probably the first piece of fur-
niture that was sold as a “knock-
down” item.

Made of six pieces of wood, a
seat and 12 screws, it could be
shipped anywhere anc assembled

‘quickly.

Since it went into mass produc-
tion in 1874, 60 million Vienna
cafe chairs have been sold. The
design has been imitated countless
times and is available in metal, with
a cane or embossed wood seat.

Charles Eames’
swivel lounge chair

Whenever I see the Eames chair
Tam tempted to sink into it, relax
and doze off.

When Charles and Ray Eames -

_ designed the swivel lounge chair in

1957, they started by studying the
shape, proportion and movement of

‘the body. Their aim was to develop

a chair that was tailor-made to the
way we move, sit and relax.

The result is utter luxury and
comfort, adjustable to a variety of

Teclining positions. It seems to

wrap itself around the lower back,
exactly where we need to release
musclo tension.

The chair has a sturdy metal

36” LUCITE

FOYER

CHANDELIER

NOW ON SALE

PACIFIC CITY

LIGHTING LTD.
4702 E. Hastings St., By

w 294-5256

Sunday r2head io pa.

base and the shell is made of
moulded rosewood. Cushions are
down-filled and covered with black
leather.

The original is not cheap and has
been imitated many times, unfortu-
nately always at the expense of
comfort and quality.

Mies van der Kohe’s
Barcelona chair

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is
renowned for his passionate atten-
tion to detail and simple clear lines
which would make a mockery of

any surface decoration.

His famous motto, “less is
more,” characterizes his designs.
They are pared down to the essen-
tials; their beauty lies in the sim-
plicity « of the structural shape.

The Barcelona chair was
designed for the International

Exhibition of 1929. The uphol-
stered leather seat rests on a grace-
fully curved X-shaped buse of
stainless steel.

It may not suit traditional living
rooms, bul often forms a symbol of
status and elegance in large recep-
tion areas.

Eero Saarinen’s
pedestal chair

The chair designed by Eero
Saarinen of Finland in 1957 breaks
tradition with the four-legged histo-
ry of chairs.

It stands on a'single pedestal and
forms a graceful seating group
together with the marble-topped
pedestal tuble.

‘The base is made of aluminum
and the seat of molded fiberglass.

A few years ago | got wrapped
on the knuckles by a museum guard
for touching Eero Saarinen’s
pedestal chair.

[had discovered the secret of
cheap imitation. In the original
model the upper part of the pedestal
is attached smoothly and invisibly
to the seat.

‘It gives the chair a finished and
beautifully sculpted look. The imi-
tation in my dining room has a
square metal plate and four sizable

screws which connect pedestal to
seal.

Robert Venturi’s
group of chairs

The final group of chairs are a
fine example for the fun-loving
silliness of post-modernism.

Many designers during the late
"70s and ’80s rejected the esthetic

simplicity of unembetlished design.

Mies van der Rohe’s saying .
“less is more” became “less is a
bore.” Post-modern design is play- ©
ful, pokes fun at tradition and uses
strong primary colors.

Robert Venturi’s “Neo Pop”

See Classic page 22

FOUNTAINS! BIRDBATHS! STATUARY!

By

Utes ae