Chair #120

RUSSIAN CARVED WOODEN CHAIR

—Designer unknown

The top curved sickle finials are very Russian indeed. The detail on the backrest has carved open rows of lines and circles, and the lower sides have quatrefoil openings. Perhaps a Russian peasant sat on this eating his or her borscht soup?

Chair #119

KING or QUEEN CHAIR

—Designer unknown

Fun chair, and not to be confused with a Kings throne.

Chair #118

ROPE AND TASSEL ARMCHAIR

—Designer unknown

France, circa 1940. The wood on this chair is adorned with rope, tassel and plume motifs. It is upholstered in red and has a distinct military flair. French military makes me think of Napoleon Bonaparte, military and political leader of France and Emperor of the French as Napoleon I, whose height inspired the name of an inferiority complex, and whose actions in the early 19th century shaped European politics.

Chair #117

CANE CHAIR

—Designer unknown

This is a Sri Lankan cane and ebony chair made for the British market. Look at those curvaceous arms, look at those front legs!

+ + +

An island nation in South Asia, Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon until until 1972. Sri Lanka is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.

+ + +

Now that we've had our geography lesson, it's interesting that the premium Ceylon tea has not changed its name to Sri Lankan tea. Sip on that.

Chair #116

WINDSOR CHAIR

—Designer unknown

Windsor chairs are such a classic with their distinctive splayed legs, and more important, the multi spindled back. They were developed in the late 17th century in the vicinity of Windsor, England. Windsor's close location to the Thames river made it an ideal location to produce and ship these chairs to many other parts of Britain. Patrick Gordon, governor of Pennsylvania in 1726, is said to have introduced the chairs to America.

Chair #115

WICKER LOUNGE CHAIR

—Designed by Marc Newson for IDEE

Marc Newson is one of the most accomplished and influential designers of his generation. Under the age of 50, he has creates everything from chairs, household objects, a bicycle and a concept car to restaurants, a recording studio and interiors of private and commercial jets for an international list of clients. Born in Australia, Newson has lived in Tokyo, Paris, and is currently living in London. Wicker covers and aluminum base on this chair.

Chair #114

NATURAL WOOD ARMCHAIR

—Designer unknown

American, circa 1950—this chair is carved from one solid piece of cypress wood.

Chair #113

CARVED WOODEN CHAIR

—Designed by John Raible

Architect John Raible and and his son Andrew, a designer and woodworker, are part of generations of furniture makers. Together they run Standard 41, a furniture showroom in Brooklyn. The pair work out of a loft at the 1860s Red Hook Stores warehouse overlooking Pier 41 (the origin of the showroom’s name), where they sell chairs, tables, desks and other furniture made to order in materials like walnut, maple and cherry. See another minimalist wooden chair by John Raible—Chair #55 on Feb 24th of this blog.

Chair #112

LOUNGE CHAIR

—Designer unknown

Very 1960s, very modern. This sturdy lounge chair boasts fat aluminum and wood legs, with a removable cushion.

Chair #111

ARMCHAIR

—Designer unknown

This chair is a mystery to me as I ripped the page out of a magazine. Looks very similar to the tailored Barbara Barry double X back chair, except this is a double V. Anyone?

Chair #110

INLAID MOTHER OF PEARL CHAIR

—Designer unknown

This chair is so lovely with all the inlaid mother of pearl and a silvery, paisley fabric on the seat.

+ + +

Mother of pearl's botanical name is nacre, pronounced NAY-kər. It is an organic inorganic composite material produced by some mollusks as an inner shell layer; it is also what makes up pearls. It is very strong, resilient, and iridescent.

Chair #109

CHIEFTAIN CHAIR

—Designed by Finn Juhl for Baker

Finn Juhl (Danish, 1912-1989) designed the chair in 1948. The "Chieftain" is Juhl's most famous design. It was named the "Chieftain" after King Frederik IX sat in the display model at the 1949 Cabinetmaker's Guild in Copenhagen. The chair was influenced by tribal art. Unlike minimalist chairs, like the Barcelona Chair, the Chieftain is built for comfort (indeed, you feel like a king when you sit in it). Fewer than 80 of the original chairs were produced by the Danish furniture maker, Niels Vodder. Baker Furniture produced it under license from Finn Juhl in the 1950s and then re-released it briefly in the 1990s. Current production versions of the chair are now being produced by Hansen & Sorensen in Denmark.

Chair #108

ARMCHAIR

—Designed by George Ingham

This 1970s chair is über wow. George Ingham (1940 - 2003) was born in Pakistan and studied design at several art schools in the United Kingdom, worked as an industrial designer, then in 1977 started his own furniture business in Hertfordshire. In 1982 Ingham moved to Australia to become the inaugural Head of the Wood Workshop at the ANU School of Art where was a central identity in the visual arts and crafts community of the Canberra region for twenty years before his premature death in 2003. Ingham had an interest in working with discarded wood and he shows extraordinary skills in the craft of woodworking with a true craftsman’s respect for materials.His work is held in private and public collections and has been included in many exhibitions in Australia and Europe.

Chair #107

COCONUT CHAIR

—Designed by George Nelson

George Nelson really captured the feel of a cracked coconut!

"Total design is nothing more or less than a process of relating everything to everything."

+ + +

Coconut

—Harry Nilsson

Brother bought a coconut, he bought it for a dime His sister had another one, she paid it for the lime She put the lime in the coconut, she drank 'em both up

(3x) Put the lime in the coconut, she called the doctor, woke him up, and said Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said Doctor, to relieve this bellyache, I said Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said Doctor, to relieve this bellyache

Now let me get this straight Put the lime in the coconut, you drank 'em both up (3x) Put the lime in the coconut, you called your doctor, woke him up, and said Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said Doctor, to relieve this bellyache,

I said Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said Doctor, to relieve this bellyache

You put the lime in the coconut, you drink 'em both together Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better Put the lime in the coconut, drink 'em both up Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the morning Brother bought a coconut, he bought it for a dime His sister had another one, she paid it for the lime She put the lime in the coconut, she drank 'em both up Put the lime in the coconut, she called the doctor, woke him up, and said Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said Doctor, to relieve this bellyache, I said Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said Now let me get this straight You put the lime in the coconut, you drink 'em both up (3x) Put the lime in the coconut, you're such a silly woman Put the lime in the coconut, you drink 'em both together Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better Put the lime in the coconut, drink 'em both down Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the morning Woo-oo, ain't there nothin' you can take, I said Woo-oo, to relieve your bellyache, you said Woo-oo, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said Woo-oo, to relieve your bellyache, you say Yeah-ah, ain't there nothing I can take, I say Wow-ow, to relieve this bellyache, I said Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said (3x) Doctor, you're such a silly woman Put the lime in the coconut, you drink 'em both together Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better Put the lime in the coconut, drink 'em both up Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the mo-o-ornin' Yes, you call me in the morning If you call me in the morning I'll tell you what to do {repeat to fade}

Chair #106

FRENCH EBONIZED DECO ARMCHAIR

—Designer unknown

Glistening black arms... so mysterious.

+ + +

eb·on·ize

To stain black like ebony.

+ + +

e·b·on·y

1. Any of various tropical Asian or African trees of the genus Diospyros.

2. The wood of such a tree, especially the hard black heartwood of D. ebenum or certain other species, used in cabinetwork and inlaying and for piano keys.

3. The hard dark wood of various other trees.

4. The color black; ebon.adj.

1. Made of or suggesting ebony.

2. Black in color.

[Probably from Middle English hebenyf, ebony wood, from alteration of Late Latin hebeninus, of ebony, from Greek ebeninos, from ebenos, ebony tree, from Egyptian hbny.]

+ + +

Thought you might want to know.

Chair #105

GROSFELD HOUSE CHAIR

—Designer known

With those girly, refined drapery swags on the back I can't help but see this chair on the set of a Jane Austen film. Ribbons and frou-frou things do that.

I sometimes get the characters of Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility all mixed up. So here's my little trick to help with the characters. For Sense & Sensibility, instead I think of "Sense and Sense-a-Willoughby," which triggers in my head the characters of John Willoughby (the philandering bad guy), Colonel Brandon, the giggly Dashwood sisters, and that secretive bitch, Lucy Steele.

For Pride and Prejudice, Instead of P & P I think of B & B , you know, Mr. Bennet and Mr. Bingley. Then I remember all the Bennet girls, Mr. Collins and his patron—Lady Catherine du Bourg, Mr. Wickham (the other bad guy), Mr. Darcy (the good guy). It's a perfectly logical train of thought, don't you think?

Chair #104

PRIDE CHAIR (one of the 'Seven Deadly Sins' chair series)

—Designed by Thomas Von Staffeldt

Brilliant! OK, here's the deal with this chair. It's part of a series named “Saligia”, the Latin acronym for the deadly sins. Designer Thomas Von Staffeldt has redesigned the classic “Model 3107″ chair made famous by Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen. The chairs, also known simply as “The Number Seven,” have each been redesigned by Von Staffeldt to represent one of seven deadly sins. This is the Superbia chair. Look for more 'Seven Deadly Sins' chairs on this blog, such as Chair #162 on June 11th.

+ + +

The Seven Deadly Sins are:

luxuria (extravagance)

gula (gluttony)

avaritia (avarice/greed)

acedia (acedia/discouragement)

ira (wrath)

invidia (envy)

superbia (pride)

Chair #103

FK LOUNGE CHAIR

—Designed by Preben Fabricuis and Jörgen Kastholm

If it spoke it would be the opposite of loquacios.

+ + +

Timelessly modern. Impossibly minimalist: at the end of the sixties, the FK bucket seat became a model for modern design. Today it is considered a design classic all over the world. Its significant contours make it an icon of minimalism. Its low seat height and invitingly broad bucket convinces on its own, in a group or as a complement to seating or lounge groups. Like the FK bucket chair and the upholstered armchair FK 86 Lounge, the FK Lounge stands on a swivel base. And we love swivels here at Chair Du Jour.

Chair #102

WILLIAM IV MAHOGANY HALL CHAIR

—Designer unknown

This hall chair would be fab by a little telephone desk. They used to have those kinds of darling things back when we didn't have cell phones that are surgically attached to people's ears. Ahhh, those were the days. This chair has Prince-of-Wales ostrich feather scrolling on the back which encircles a Royal crest of coronet carving. The solid baluster legs make for a sturdy chair.

Chair #101

ROCKING WHEEL CHAIR

—Designed by Mathias Koehler

OK, this is so cool. It's a graphite gray with lime green fabric on the seat and arms. The Rocking Wheel Chair is certainly a modern interpretation of what a rocking chair is. The near circular silhouette is what makes the design so unique. The upper part, which hangs over the user's head, has a reading light powered by the chair movement itself. Brilliant!

+ + +

You wouldn't see this on the veranda in Gone With the Wind, would you? I can hear Miss Scarlett now...

"I declare" exclaimed Scarlett O'Hara, " I never heard of such bad taste.... Kindly remove that monstrosity off the veranda!"

Chair #100

Hollywood Dining Chair

—Duralee Fine Furniture

She was wrapped from head to toe in a gray silk velvet robe with a thick satin sash cinched around her waist. Draped around her neck was a stunning row of steely, iridescent Mikimoto black pearls. She slowly unraveled the sash, and let the robe slide off her silky shoulders and fall to the ground, next to the Hollywood dining chair. Those pearls...!

Chair #99

MONTGOMERY PLACE CHAIR

—Designed by Munder-Skiles

This chair reminds me of a spider web!

* * *

From Charlotte's Web...

Charlotte is looking for a new message to write in her web

Lamb: How about "Pig Supreme"?
Charlotte: No good. It sounds like a rich dessert.

Templeton walks past with an apple core towards the trough, and Charlotte glares at Templeton

Goose: How about terrific, terrific, terrific?
Charlotte: Cut that down to one terrific and it will do nicely. I think terrific might impress Zuckerman.
Wilbur: But Charlotte, I'm not terrific.
Charlotte: You're terrific as far as I am concerned.

Templeton, while holding a piece of orange in his mouth, smacks Wilbur's face with his tail and walks off to the trough

Charlotte: Does anybody know how to spell it?
Goose: I think it's T double-E double-R double-R double-I double-F double-I double C, C, C!

Charlotte: What kind of an acrobat do you think I am? It would take me all night to write a word like that into my web.
Ram: I would advise you not to consult geese in matters of spelling. The word is spelled T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C.
Goose: I still think it's prettier spelled T-double E-double R-...
Charlotte: Please! Let me spell it my way.

Chair #98

PANTON CHAIR

—Designed by Vernor Panton

The Panton Chair is a classic in furniture history. This is the same designer who brought us the heart cone chair (Chair #45 on this blog). The chair has gone through various stages over the years with new developments in plastic, and thanks to the current availability of polypropylene, the design of a comfy, single-piece chair is now easily accessible. It comes in five jazzy colors. Sort of reminds me of a kiddie slide.

+ + + 

Most people spend their lives living in dreary, beige conformity, mortally afraid of using color. The main purpose of my work is to provoke people into using their imagination and make their surroundings more exciting.

   —Verner Panton

Chair #97

EGG CHAIR 

—Designed by Arne Jacobsen

This iconic chair was created by the same Danish designer who brought us the Swan chair (Chair #1 on this blog). Cradled in a cocoon of yum, is how it must feel to sit in this chair. 

+ + + 

In 1958, Arne Jacobsen designed the Egg for the lobby and reception areas of the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. This organically shaped chair has since become synonymous with Danish furniture design throughout the world. Because of the unique shape, the Egg guarantees a bit of privacy in otherwise public spaces, and the Egg – with or without ottoman – is ideal for lounge and waiting areas as well as the home.

The Egg originated in Arne Jacobsen’s garage - cast in plaster. Today the synthetic shell is padded with cold foam and covered with fabric or different types of leather resting on a star-shaped aluminium base.

Arne Jacobsen was very productive both as an architect and as a designer. His cooperation with Fritz Hansen dates back to 1934. The Ant and Series 7 chairs, produced in 1952, propelled both Jacobsen and Fritz Hansen’s names into furniture history. At the end of the 50’s Arne Jacobsen designed the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, which introduced the Egg, the Swan, the Swan sofa and Series 3300 to the design world. Arne Jacobsen was and is an admired and outstanding designer. His furniture and other design work have become a national and international heritage.

The shell of the Egg is of polyurethane foam with fiberglass reinforcement. The shell has an adjustable tilt which can be adjusted to the weight of the individual user. The base consists of a satin-polished, welded steel tube and a 4-star base in injection molded aluminium. The Egg may be upholstered with fabric or leather and is also available with an automatic return mechanism.

— from Hive modern.com

Chair #96

SINGLE COMPASS LEG CHAIR

—Designer unknown

Cerused oak made circa 1950's in the manner of Jean Prouvé — a French designer and engineer of the mid 1900's. The compass legs are clean and streamlined. So the question is... is this a chair for a draftsman or a chair for a sailor? 

+ + + 

A “ceruse” finish is achieved by applying some sort of white material (for example,  paint or filler) to the pores of the grain where it is absorbed, leaving the non-porous areas untouched. This technique works so well with oak because has open porous graining. The result is an interesting patina finish, Trés rustic French.

Chair #95

MANIFOLD CHAIR 

—Designed by Forrest Myers

Designer Forrest Myers made just eight of these slick stainless steel chairs. It almost looks like some sort of clever oragami project... like you could squash it down into a flat, stainless steel sheet. A massive, 5/8” thick piece of stainless steel was cut, folded, and bent to exact specifications, and was finished at a factory under the artists watchful eye. I'd like to see how one folds a 5/8" thick sheet of stainless steel.

Chair #94

TUFTED DUNCAN STYLE CHAIR 

—Designer unknown

I love a big, beefy leather chair. This one has quite a lot of style with tufted leather and big scrolled arms, and just the right amount of carved maple here and there. Traditional, yet hip and mod. Looks like the perfect chair to engulf you on a rainy New England afternoon — maybe read some Hawthorne.

Chair #93

ACRYLIC COMPUTER CHAIR

—Designer unknown

Offered through Urban Outfitters, this bright and snappy swivel chair has cool circular cutouts on the back. I'd be afraid I'd slide off the chair during an inter-office conference call.

Chair #92

SEEING EYE CHAIR

—Designed by Steve Holman

Contemporary furniture designer from Vermont, Steve Holman is also the man behind the Rocket Stool (Chair #41 on this blog). This unusual chair is made of figured cherry veneers, wenge, purpleheart, gold leaf, and velvet.

"I built this for the 25th anniversary show for Frog Hollow, the Vermont state craft galleries. I had in mind a kind of Egyptian throne. It now resides in the library of a carpenter gothic home in Guilford, CT."

 

         —Steve Holman

Chair #91

HARLEQUIN CHAIR

—Designer unknown

April Fools!!

+ + +

A jester, joker, jokester, fool, wit-cracker, prankster or buffoon was a person employed to tell jokes and provide general entertainment, typically by a European monarch. Jesters are stereotypically thought to have worn brightly colored clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern. Their hats were especially distinctive; made of cloth, they were floppy with three points (liliripes), each of which had a jingle bell at the end. The three points of the hat represent the donkey's ears and tail worn by jesters in earlier times. Other things distinctive about the jester were his laughter and his mock sceptre, known as a bauble or marotte.

—From Wikipedia