After several weeks of being away designing, giving out degrees in confidence through Design Guy University and some personal things, I'm rearing my head to promote a book that I just love. Written by Florence de Dampierre, Chairs, a History, is just plain marvelous. It's a history lesson in the progression of that one item in our houses that we all have, a chair. Whether we use them to recline and relax, dine, or for display, the chair is really the one item through history, that has not changed. Here are some of my favorite examples... so just sit back and enjoy these few pictures... and.. of course... some commentary.
This Florentine chair was produced c1840. Can you see the carving? Wow. No wonder it's believed to have come from a palace.
Thomas Chippendale. No book on chairs would be complete. I wouldn't mind having one of these beauties. Yum Yum.
I'm designing a house right now whose inspiration is Art Deco. These are prime examples: Hexagonal chairs by the designer Charreau. Henredon has a line out right now where I am confident this is the inspiration. Their chairs, however, are narrower than these graceful, generous beauties.
All types and periods are represented. This particular chair is done by pop artist Arman and is created with a series of lucite boxes. Just incredible.. do you see the wheels underneath?
And we finish with this strange chair. Any guesses? It looks like it was created today with those bold blue animal legs and interesting carvings. Give up? Try the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. It's on display at the Louvre and is one of the earliest examples of chairs still in existence.
This book is not only a chronology of interior design history, but an insight on how humanity has lived. A must have reference.
