Dutch Designers Re-invent The Chair
What do the Red and Blue chair designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1918, The Wassily chair, designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925 and the Lounge chair and ottoman designed by Eames in 1959, have in common, except for the fact they are designed in the 20th century? Well, these design icons have all been re-invented by Dutch Designers. Just that.
Red and Blue Chair designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1917. Wassily Chair, designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925 (currently produced by Knoll). Lounge chair and ottoman designed by Eames in 1959. (currently produced by Herman Miller)
There are probably are more examples. Please be so kind to share them with us if you know! Thanks! xoxo Mimi
(other images via: Maarten Baas Tessa Koot Mal-Furniture)
History Red and Blue Chair; The original chair was constructed of unstained beech wood and was not painted until the early 1920s. Fellow member of De Stijl and architect, Bart van der Leck, saw his original model and suggested that he add bright colours. He built the new model of thinner wood and painted it entirely black with areas of primary colors attributed to De Stijl movement. The effect of this color scheme made the chair seem to almost disappear against the black walls and floor of the Schröder house where it was later placed.The areas of color appeared to float, giving it an almost transparent structure. In Rietveld’s instructions on how to build the chair, he informs the craftsperson to print the following verse from Der Aesthet by Christian Morgenstern underneath the seat:
- Wenn Ich sitze, möchte Ich nicht
sitzen, wie Mein Sitzfleisch möchte
sondern wie Mein Sitzgeist sich,
säße er, den Stuhl sich flöchte.
- (“When I sit, I do not want / to sit like my seat-flesh likes / but rather like my seat-mind would, / if he were sitting, weave the chair for himself.”) (read more wikipedia)