Historic Details of Chair Design
I am fortunate to live in an area that is rich in the arts. And I don’t just mean being close to NYC. I mean the local museums that are less than an hour from my home in Bethlehem, PA. I am also fortunate to have many wonderful friends and family who don’t mind joining me on my jaunts to visit new exhibitions and openings that I attend in order to keep my creative soul vibrant and enriched.
For me ART is FOOD for the SOUL! And ART can come in many shapes and sizes – especially FURNITURE ART!
Recently, I took my mom on a visit to the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA to see a fantastic exhibit; The Art of Seating: Two Hundred Years of American Design.
Chair design fascinates me for several reasons; but mostly because there is a huge dichotomy between the “design” of chairs AND the function of chairs. Have you ever noticed how many times a chair can look really cool and inviting, but when you go and sit in it your body almost moans with disappointment?
William Morris Chair Design
Victorian Chair Design
Victorian Design Details
I often guide my clients through furniture selection which includes every type of chair - ranging from dining to lounging to office chairs. So I really pay attention to every detail in a chair. Chairs, like many aspects of interior design, are a VERY personal decision for each user. With all the numerous trade shows and furniture markets that I’ve attended in my career I have probably “tested” out more seats than any “normal” person – so the intricacies of a “good sit” fascinate me. And I am always comparing function AND aesthetics!
classic Shaker Rocker Design
Eero Saarinen Wood Chair Design
“The chairs in The Art of Seating were intended to be more than simply functional objects; they were designed to also be visually engaging and can therefore be considered as works of art.” – Michener Art Museum
Nicko Chair
Harp Bench
So you can imagine my excitement when I saw this exhibit was close to home and I had the opportunity to also attend a guest lecture by Mark Sfirri, who is a furniture-maker and a professor Emeritus from Bucks County Community College. Mark lectured on the three main concepts involved in successful chair design; structure, aesthetics and function (comfort).
Of all of the types of furniture that are made, designing a comfortable, attractive, structurally sound chair is the most challenging. – Mark Sfirri
There are, of course, “standards” in place and numerous books on the subject of ergonomics – the human factors including basic dimensions of seating. Most people focus on the seat and arm height and depth, but what struck me was Professor Sfirri’s own standard involving the perfect angle that a seat and back of a chair should have in order to be comfortable for “most” people.
Saarinen Lounge Chair & Ottoman
And as luck would have it the very next week I had the opportunity to put his concepts to work when I redesigned a client’s basement bench seating area with one of my talented craftsmen. We took a simple 18” deep flat bench seat and reimagined it into sofa seating. I will share the results of this awesome transformation when it’s complete as we had custom cushions fabricated by one of my workrooms. These are the elements and details of interior design that fascinate me - truly not rocket science but when you are sitting for a long time - may be just as important!