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Monday, January 16, 2012

You look so familiar: Part 5 - Wings

Wings...from the subtle to the sublime, they make perfect ergonomic sense. They make perfect design sense too, because chairs in this style are considered some of the most lovely ever produced.

The previous installment of this series on the topic of shell chairs included a 1957 crossover piece by Hans Olsen that had small wing-style arms, but the design element appeared much earlier than that. Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames designed their Organic Chair in the late 1940s, and Eames capitalized on the design later with his DAX chair, which will be included in yet another category.

Harry Bertoia's svelte Bird Chair made subtle use of the feature, while Robin Day's spectacular Royal Festival Hall chair took modern seating to the brink of flight.

Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen Organic chair - 1940
loc.gov

Eero Saarinen Womb chair - 1948
treadwaygallery.com

Jupp Ernst chair by Helmut Lortz - 1950s
grainedit.com

Thonet - 1950s
1stdibs.com

Robin Day Royal Festival Hall chair - 1951
theargus.co.uk

Harry Bertoia Bird chair - 1952
knoll.com

8 comments:

  1. I really love the look of all these. The Royal Festival Hall is stunning! This series you are putting together is too fun!

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    1. I always had an idea in the back of my mind that a lot of lookalikes are floating around out there, but I had never really categorized them or put them on a timeline. When I started writing this, I realized there are lots more than I imagined and even more that are an amalgam of several different designs. It's been fun to research and write about this "borrowing" of ideas.

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  2. I love that you put these on a timeline.

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    1. It really helps figure out who "influenced" whom, huh? :) Many of the pieces I've found are almost total knockoffs.

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  3. We have the reproduction organic chair. The "wings" make it so, so comfortable. I love realizing that certain design elements were actually thoughtful, meant to make a piece fit the body. Ah, smart design.

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    1. Yes, those arms are ergonomic masterpieces, before that became a widely used word.

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  4. Love the whimsy of the Robin Day Royal Festival Chair, not to mention the color matching beautifully with the wood.

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    1. Robin Day is one of my favorite designers, and he was very honest about the influence others had on his work. I love the Royal Festival Hall chair too. My favorite thing about it is the asymmetrical back cushion.

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