SCS’ DESIGN CLASSICS | THE CHAIR COLLECTION

Every Monday we sit down as a team to share our design inspiration, the latest trends and new suppliers. Sometimes however it is good to do a refresh and revisit our design history. Ruth, a lead designer within the team, put together her design classics : ‘The Chair Collection’. We thought the design enthusiasts of you out there may enjoy her top 5 selections – accompanied by some fun facts!

 

THE EAMES LOUNGE CHAIR & OTTOMAN

Designer: Charles and Ray Eames

Date: Released in 1956

Current Licensee: Herman Miller (USA)

Fun Fact: Heavily copied and replicated since the 1950’s but original pieces can be identified through a few key elements, the easiest being the legs. An authentic Eames Lounge Chair will have five legs on the base and four legs on the base of the ottoman.

THE BARCELONA CHAIR

Designer: Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich

Date: Released in 1929

Current Licensee: Knoll Inc

Fun Fact: Although Mies van der Rohe receives the most credit for designing the Barcelona chair, he didn’t design it alone. Design scholars and those who were close to Mies argue that the bulk of the design for the Barcelona chair was engineered by Lily Reich. Lily was Mies van der Rohe’s lover and design partner for a short period of time before Mies left for America.

 

THE PAPA BEAR CHAIR

Designer: HANS WAGNER

Date: Released in 1954

Current Licensee: PP MOBLER

Fun Fact: Hans J. Wegner is the master of Danish chair design. Wegner has designed countless chairs, many of which are internationally recognized classics. Hans Wegner’s furniture unites form and function; in every design, he places the highest demands on comfort and ergonomics. To Wegner, a chair is not just a piece of furniture, but a work of art made to support the human form.

 

THE EGG CHAIR

Designer: Arne Jacobsen

Date: Released in 1958

Current Licensee: FRITZ HANSEN

Fun Fact: Jacobsen designed the Egg specifically for the SAS Royal hotel in Copenhagen. His clever pop interpretation of a traditional armchair is all curves and fluidity, soft and sexy. It also creates a sort of cozy cocoon of privacy, especially if you swivel it away from someone you want to ignore or mute.

 

THE B32/CESCA CHAIR

Designer: Marcel Breuer

Date: Released in 1928

Current Licensee: FRITZ HANSEN

Fun Fact: Fascinated by bicycle handlebars, Marcel Breuer and Mart Stam used non-reinforced tubular steel to essentially invent the 20th-century modern chair. The B32/Cesca offered a comfortable bounce and seemed to float a human being on air. As if all that weren’t enough, Breuer also designed the former Whitney Museum in New York, now known in respect as the Met Breuer.