The character of an empty room

I am sure that you like me was believing that interior design of one room depends on colors of the walls, lighting composition or textile texture. These are absolutely very important, however... But while studying the history of design and most iconic architect-designers, I got impressed by their focus on an elementary (for us) piece of furniture - a chair. 

...FROM THE HISTORY

Designed for our daily comfort, the chair has a centuries-old history. Until the 16th century it was expressing the status in the society and wealth. The seats were being made of expensive materials (bone, ebony; gilded, decorated, encrusted). As late as the Renaissance chair becomes a standard part of the furniture. From then on, the look of the chair changes, but not its function.

Evolving through different historical eras, this piece of furniture took on a more creative look with the British Arts and Crafts Movement in XIX century.

THE CHAIR AND AN EMPTY ROOM

Increased use of technologies and innovative materials in the 20th century, boosted creativity in the engineering that unlocked new types of chairs: with metal legs, plastic and ergonomic. I invite you to join my experiment and take a look on how one chair (from top models) can change the mood of a very clean white room.

The father of modernism in the Scandinavian countries, Alvar Aalto, created the Paimio chair in 1931. Named after The Finnish city, the chair reflects those curved shapes of the lakes in his native land. This is very characteristic in the architect's designs. In my clean interior, Paimio chair radiates tenderness and lightness, its smooth forms emphasize the natural variability and flexibility.

But in the US. The designer duo, Charles and Ray Eames, creates so called Lounge Chair Wood and Ottoman, 1956. Even created in the last century, this piece of furniture predicted the future - till nowadays it still meets the needs of modern human. The chair makes the interior both modern and classic at the same time. Important to note, is that this Lounge chair is a result of the tandems' attempts with the plywood molding, which began in 1942 when husband and wife created a new type of molded medical splint for immobilization.

Eames' technological discovery started to be used in Europe. Scandinavian Arne Jacobsen designed the "Ant" chair (1952), named for its close resemblance to the outline of this bug. Light, stable, easy to stack , the chair could be manufactured 10 min (!). By the way, the original Ant model had three legs, and only after the designer's death the company Fritz Hansen started producing it with four ones. In our empty room, the chair stands elegant and playfully because of rounded and slim shapes. It was not by chance that it the seat was created for a canteen, facing daily flow of people.

Jakobsen's compatriot and colleague, Werner Panton –  acknowledged innovator in design. His "S" chair turns into a sensational design. Cleared plastic and flexible, yet extravagant, the chair gives a solid and non-distracting image to our created imaginary room. Probably, in combination with other decorative elements the chair would invite to sit for a drink. Right?

Lets look at the icon of modernism - the Wasilly chair, designed in 1925 by the Hungarian-American designer Marcel Breuer (Bauhaus graduate ). Inspired by the bicycle frame, the chair was made of curved tubes of steel and textile straps that allows an ergonomic and comfortable seating position. Despite its minimalist look, the chair sufficiently enriches and arranges the space, provides avant-garde flavor and does not require additional load. 

CONTEMPORARY CHAIR DESIGNS

The prototypes, made in the last century, are still inspiring many designs nowadays and this piece of furniture still receives exceptional attention.

Philippe Starck – French architect and designer comes into notice with his transparent model of the "Ghost" chair. It can easily fit any space, from the dining to the living room or even an office. Hardly noticeable, but nevertheless creates both a luxurious and classic look in a clean room. 

The original chair of Konstantin Grcic is changing the vision of our room. Even though, the designer himself comments that his Chair One suits better for external use, its geometric concentration, unusual angles and sharp edges radiate strong nature to the closed environment. 

Grcic philosophizes: “Designing chairs affects the problems of society, how we live... How it changes life…”

Have you heard of the eccentric Karim Rashid? His design in our empty room looks lonely. Extravagant, colorful and unmanageable forms of his chair demand space adaptation. 

"Today it is very difficult to you invent an original chair, but each of us is individual with a hidden potential to give a birth to a new thought and idea every morning" (Karim Rashid).

I hope you enjoyed this design experiment and started believing how any furniture style impacts the character of the place we are living.