Chair #319

CLUB CHAIR

—Designed by Tim Philbrick

Tim Philbrick made one of his club chairs for the show. He is one of the few makers to take on the upholstered form, and his club chair was received like no other easy chair since John Dunnigan’s upholstered work in the 1980s. Philbrick had worked on the easy chair form since his PIA training in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, he was commissioned to do a series of upholstered seating pieces for the Edward Steichen house in Connecticut. His chairs stand out today as contemporary forms in complete control of their many curving lines. In these chairs, the visible flow of the wood continues up the front leg, through the arm, up the side of the back, and into the crown rail. The curving front edge of the upholstered seat forms the front of the chair, without resorting to a separate cushion.