Chair #279

BARCA LOUNGE CHAIR

—Designed by Jakob Joergensen

This chair reminds me of a little boat. Can't you just see the gang from Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows floating down the river in this? Rat said, "There is nothing—absolutely nothing —half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." Indeed! The Mole has just seen the River for the first time, has just been befriended by the Rat, has just gotten into a boat for the first time, and is about to embark on his first ever River excursion with the Rat. During a quick stop-off at Ratty’s home on the river bank, Rat reappears “staggering under a fat, wicker luncheon-basket.” Here's how Grahame tell it.

'Shove that under your feet,’ he observed to the Mole,

as he passed it down into the boat. Then he untied

the painter and took the sculls again.

‘What’s inside it?’ asked the Mole, wriggling with curiosity.
‘There’s cold chicken inside it,’ replied the Rat briefly;
coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrolls
cresssandwidgespottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater...’
‘O stop, stop,’ cried Mole in ecstasies: ‘This is too much!’
‘Do you really think so?’ inquired the Rat seriously ‘It’s only

what I always take on these little excursions; and the other

animals are always telling me that I’m a mean beast and

cut in very fine!’

Delicious dialogue, isn't it?

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The Barca lounge chair was created by molding the identical ash boards around to form the semi-spherical lovely shape we see. This is probably one of those very difficult processes that craftsman like Jakob Joergensen make look easy.