When we are studying the subject of anthropometry and ergonomics is taken, and you begin to know the background of the measurements of the human being, we begin this theoretical-practical class, which fills our minds with basic dimensions, logical knowledge that we have as users of spaces , but when it comes to designing, or placing on paper, they take a backseat due to the aesthetic part. For me, industrial design contains a high degree of difficulty, since they often design elements for daily use, where comfort is the determining factor, and the chair is a piece of furniture with which we designers can easily play, for what I leave here my 5 favorite chairs:
1- DSW-DSR- DAW
The wonderful couple of Charles and Ray Eames are responsible for creating endless innovative designs in the Mid-Century era, today in lia we can find their furniture in any space, which makes their designs recognized as one of the most timeless in my opinion With a career as an architect, Charles and Ray dedicated themselves to executing residential spaces for the most part, which allowed them to have continuous contact with their users and allowed them to capture what was necessary to create totally unique pieces that could be adapted to the multiple functions that are needed to home. Within his creations, my favorite series is one that for me is extremely versatile, which we can find as his plastic series. We can choose them by name, which tells us about the combination that describes the product:
DSR Dining (height) Side (chair) Rod (base)
DSW Dining (height) Side (chair) Wood (base)
DAR Dining (height) Arm (chair) Rod (base)
DAW Dining (height) Arm (chair) Wood (base)
What makes this chair one of my favorites is the fact that I can propose it in an office, in a house, indoors or outdoors, in different colors, with different materials, it is really a dynamic chair, the cost is not as high as others, which makes it really accessible. In my office, I have them as customer service chairs, but I have seen them in different spaces, in totally different modalities than mine, and they manage to turn the space around.
2- EGG CHAIR
Now the plastic series of the Eames had a dining room height, for its part the egg chair, is a lounge type chair, the height is different, so its use is also different, the previous one had that flexibility of use with which this chair does not count, however, what the egg chair does have is character, it is a piece of art, an accent chair for any space, which was the main objective of the architect Arne Jacobsen, who was commissioned he designed furniture for the Radisson Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. It reaches my top 5, since it is an iconic piece, extremely timeless but above all it is elegant, but that kind of classic elegance, like when one talks about Audrey Hepburn or Judy Garland.
3-MASTERS
In 2009 a chair was born in connection with a collaboration between Philippe Starck and Eugeni Quitllet for Kartell. Now, it is not the fact of the collaboration that is the most interesting thing about this product, it is the part in which this chair is a tribute, it is a tribute to Scandinavian design, to the Bauhaus and to the creations of the 50s. Philippe and Eugeni chose three iconic chairs: “Series 7” by Arne Jacobsen, “Eiffel Chair” by Charles Eames and “Tulip” by Eero Saarinen, and with the silhouettes they managed to give these ‘retro’ chairs a contemporary twist, never losing the essence of elegance and simplicity. It is not the first time that Philippe has dared to use a design from the past to incorporate it into the present, we also have the Ghost chair which I love, however, I think that the abstraction for the masters chair puts it in my top 5. The material, although it is made of plastic, is of high quality by Kartell, which makes it somewhat expensive, but it is worth it for its comfort and weather resistance. Different colors make it a versatile product, but what most catches my attention and amazes me is the level of functionality of the chair, it is the fact that it is stackable, giving the user the possibility of using it and keeping it safe. tip of your fingers.
4- OTTAWA
Created by the designer Karim Rashid, the Ottawa chair is part of a collection made for Bo Concept, and if you have the opportunity I invite you to get to know it, since it is one of the current collections that, for my taste, stands out in simplicity and elegance, but I will only talk about the chair for today. Karim lived in Denmark for a time, so Karim was inspired by this country, and chose nature as his muse, specifically the leaf for the seat and the legs of a bird. It is an elegant design where the subtlety of the lines manage to create a light element in sight, and that is extremely dynamic due to the versatility of its smooth lines. Bo Concept handles the product in different finishes and manages to accommodate any style that one is looking to achieve.
5- CH07 SHELL
Designed by Hans J. Wegner, for me it is a configured piece with impressive visual harmony. It is not the only magnificent work that Wegner managed to create, however in 1968 this piece was created, the public rejected it and failed to impress, so it went into the background and at the time it was reintroduced in 1998, it captured all our hearts, well not in 1998 for me specifically, but when I studied it in my master’s degree, I was surprised by the quality of the materials, the shape, but above all by the comfort. It is a lounge chair like the egg chair, and I think they use a similar language, however, I fell in love with this Danish design based on the stability and lightness it provides visually and tactilely.
I had to go back and forth on my top 5 about 4 times as I couldn’t rank them, or delete one because there are so many interesting nods I’d like to cover. I had the opportunity to visit the Danish Design Museum in Copenhagen, and it was impressive the amount of design that has been generated in the last 80 years, the visual ability to create unique pieces but above all functional things for the user. Obviously we all would like to have a designer piece in our spaces, but it is much more important to know the background of the purchase we are looking for, to try it, the style, the concept. My respect to all these designers and architects who have managed to polish good taste and create design icons.
