Chair designs in the 1980s were part of a tug of war between postmodernist ideals and functionalist tendencies. A number of icons arose out of both camps, alongside several outliers such as Hans J. Wegner’s Circle Chair.
Cassina 654 Torso
A curiously quirky design by Italian architect and designer Paolo Deganello, the 654 Torso is an asymmetric left or right armchair in one iteration and an armchair with a footrest and tabletop in another. Manufactured by Cassina, the 654 Torso was launched in 1982 and exhibits an air of Memphis Milano.
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Bel Air Chair
Designed by Californian designer and ceramist Peter Shire in 1982 and produced by Memphis Milano, the colourful Bel Air chair meshes Memphis with a West Coast style. Shire drew inspiration from many of California’s cultural symbols, including surfing, hot-rodding and the state’s modern architecture. The Bel Air chair’s asymmetrical back resembles a shark fin, and the seat is a combination of painted wood with coloured cotton fabric.
Costes Chair
Philippe Starck designed the Costes Chair in 1984 for Italian “aesthetic lab” Driade. A cafe-style chair (it was originally designed for the former Cafe Costes in Paris), the Costes Chair consists of an enveloping and embracing wood structure with three legs. It is simple and iconic.
Images courtesy of Driade.
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Queen Anne
Designed by American architect Robert Venturi in 1984 and manufactured by Knoll, the postmodern Queen Anne chair draws inspiration from the eighteenth century original. Venturi’s design, in bent laminated wood, presents a silhouette of the classic Queen Anne style.
Well Tempered Chair
Designed by Ron Arad in 1986 for Vitra Editions, the Well Tempered chair is an idiosyncratic piece made using sheet steel. Resembling a classic armchair, Arad’s Well Tempered chair pushes the boundaries of form, structure and comfort. Furthermore, the chair manifests a somewhat alien and robotic countenance.
Images courtesy of Wright.
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PP130 Circle Chair
Chair maestro Hans J. Wegner designed the PP130 Circle Chair in 1986 at the age of 72. Manufactured by PP Møbler, the chair’s technical and complex design would test the limits of possibility at PP Møbler’s Allerød-based workshop. In true Wegner fashion, the Circle Chair offers a clean and simple form, despite its complicated design.
Images via Skandium.
Plywood Chair
Designed by Jasper Morrison in 1988, the no-nonsense and functional Plywood Chair creation was the antithesis of Postmodernism. Initially made for a Berlin-based installation titled “Some New Items for the Home”, the chair was later produced by Vitra. The Plywood Chair’s gently curving back and legs provide the seat with a sensual countenance.
Dr. Glob
Philippe Starck designed the Dr. Glob stacking chair for Kartell in 1988. Made using plastic and tubular aluminium, the chair’s design emerged as a way of combining different materials in order to achieve structural rigidity. A product of the eighties, Dr. Glob is a contemporary seat created in true Starck fashion.
Silver
Designed by Italian industrial designer Vico Magistretti for De Padova in 1989, the Silver chair’s design was based on the proportions of the famed Thonet chair. A seating system, Silver is available as a fixed chair with or without armrests, a stackable chair, a swivel chair on castors and a bar-mounted chair.
Images © De Padova 2016.
