Let’s take a look on three chairs considered as standards of Mid Century Modern Style.
The Lounge Chair, by Hans Wegner
There is a famous quote of Hans Wegner about chairs: “A chair is to have no backside. It should be beautiful from all angles.” This statement is a constant in the work of Hans Wegner, creator of several of the most beautiful chairs in the world. And, just like it happens with the Shell Chair, the Lounge Chair is not the exception.
The Lounge Chair is a gorgeous wood table (It’s labeled like CH25), with a design simple of clean lines. Revolutionary at its time, the CH25 was released in 1950, and it has a tremendous success since then. Using woven paper cord, a controversial choice at the moment, Wegner achieves a great texture for relaxed seating, both in the back and seat.
But don’t be confused about the simple lines of the Lounge Chair. Its manufacture is quite complex, and it takes 10 hs for a qualified artisan to complete one seat, using specialized techniques to allow have the same pattern in the back side and the front side: one of the main pursuits of Hans Wegner.
The Barcelona Chair, by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Back in 1929, when the Barcelona Chair, and the Barcelona Collection were introduced in the International Exposition of Barcelona, the landscape in Architecture and Interior Design was in the middle of some winds of change. Art Noveau and Modernism brake against a world of classic rules that shape Architecture and Arts for many years.
But already the Barcelona Chair portrayed some key features that made it a standard of design:
- Minimalism
- Experimental materials
- Functionalism over Ornaments
With a design that rests in a sober shape, without ornaments, the iconic X frame of the Barcelona Chair and its comfortable cushions, the Barcelona Chair offers a great piece of furniture that avoids any useless detail. Build with stainless steel frame, and a set of stuffed cushions of premium leather, the Barcelona Chair has nothing to offer, but not less, than a great seat experience.
The Womb Chair, by Eero Saarinen
“I want a chair that is a like a basket full of pillows…Something I can curl up in”.
That were the words of Florence Knoll, the legendary soul and brain of Knoll design, when she discussed with Eero Saarinen about their next great project. Those words stayed fixed in the mind of Eero, who recently had won the Museum of Art Organic Design competition in 1941.
Introduced in 1948, the Womb Chair and Ottoman is one of the most popular designs to come out of the 1940s. Saarinen realized that people sit in many different ways; he designed a chair that is comfortable whether lounging, slouching, or sitting with a leg thrown over the armrest. Paired with the Womb Ottoman, you may find yourself in the lap of luxury
A truly avant garde design, the Womb chair was released in 1941 as a great object of design, using experimental technics to mix different materials. The final result met all the expectations, but the process of creation was somehow bumpy.
Paired with the Womb Ottoman, you will find that the Womb Chair is the ideal piece for relax with style. With its original shell, featuring wool boucle upholstery and molded foam cushions over a fiberglass shell, the Womb Chair hardly leave someone indifferent.
For inspo, info and great offers in furniture, don’t miss the oportunity in Barcelona Design, the alternative for Mid Century Modern style furniture, with masterpieces like the Barcelona Chair or the Hans Wegner Shell Chair.