Saturday 11 July 2009

'Losing The Plot' exhibition. Kartell 'Louis Ghost' chairs reinterpreted at Lifestyle Bazaar, for London Design Week 2009.



I'm excited to be taking part in a project by London interiors store Lifestyle Bazaar to celebrate Kartells 60th brithday during London Design Week 2009. A group of 8 artists/designers have each been given a 'Louis Ghost' chair designed by Philippe Stark for Kartell to stamp there own mark on under the 2009 Design Week brief of 'Be Bold, Make a statement'. The results of the project will be auctioned off for charity -so please keep watching this space if anyone wants to own one of my pieces!
Where to start? the possibilities are endless, its going to be hard to decide on a final piece. i know that i don't want to render a brand new chair useless- it would feel like putting a healthy animal down to me.
One of my favorite 're-made' chairs is by artist duo; Nina Jan Beier and Marie Jan Lund where the artists split a found wooden chair vertically in half and add a few scrap timber planks to make a two seater bench in order to share the single chair with others. (will try to find a photo to add here soon). I love the idea of 'sharing' my stark chair in some form and of course- i love 'home made' design within reach ideas.
I didn't notice that i had so many carver armchairs in my collection until taking the new Stark edition home. I've been staring at them for a long time today trying to work out what i like about them- here are 8 of them that bear some importance to me. Not including any office or industrial type armchairs, these are just some 'stand alone' carver armchairs i like from my own fluctuating collection...

Above: American late 40s/early 50s Navy 'good form' emeco armchair. One of the first chairs i would grab in a fire and also one of the cheapest chairs i've ever bought having found it being used in a scrap yard.

Above: British classic Ercol shaker carver by Margaret Howell. Elm and birch.

Above: Rather rare school teachers armchair by James Leonard (with 'Deputy Head' in chalk to the underside) aluminium and bent plywood.


Early Pel design conference/hall chair produced by DU-AL with a fold up seat section.


French 'Bridge' chair, leather upholstery over wooden frame, found in Lille.

The first use of square section steel by DU-AL (as opposed to tubular steel) this is the father of the very ugly 'conference and banqueting' chair that litters halls and hotels all over the world.

The 'Jazz chair' and british design, birch frame with recycled scrap plastic seat and backrest.

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