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Mart Stam S 43 Cantilever Chair
The S 43 Cantilever Chair designed by Mart Stam Celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2006. New versions with fine wood furnishings provide the classic with a new, varied look. Weatherproof versions facilitate new outdoor deployment possibilities.
The S 43 entered production at Thonet in 1931, a piece of furniture which is now among the most important tubular steel classics. The chair was designed by the Dutch architect and Bauhaus tutor Mart Stam, who had already experimented with bent gas pipes in 1926, thus developing the principle of the cantilever chair without any back legs for the first time in the history of furniture.
In 1927, his trailblazing design, which still remained inelastic and did not bounce, was presented at the 'Weißenhof-Siedlung' housing project in Stuttgart. The unembellished functional form fitted perfectly into the modern buildings of the time. This marked the birth of the basic idea of the later cantilever chair, possibly the most important innovation in furniture design in the 20th century. With his cantilever chair, the pioneer Mart Stam had supplied a bold, trendsetting design, which subsequently inspired contemporaries such as Marcel Breuer, Mies van der Rohe and, in the USA, Harry E.
Nolan to make further developments. They all pursued the idea of "sitting like on an elastic pillar of air" (Marcel Breuer). Mies van der Rohe already had his cantilever models patented in 1927. There soon broke out a prolonged dispute concerning patents and copyrights. Mart Stam was later granted the copyright for the cantilever chair form the strictly cubic chair without any back legs.
The S 43, a version of this first early model, entered production at Thonet. The chair is still one of the bestsellers in the collection. Its linear form and the highly comfortable sitting experience it provides have captivated consumers for the past 75 years. New versions of the S 43. From the beginning of 2006, this successful classic will be available not only as in the past with seat fittings made of stained or lacquered beech plywood, but also in three new versions.
One alternative to the traditional cover lacquer available from 2006 is the high-quality laminate coating. This is extremely durable, easy to clean and attractively priced. Thonet will initially be offering this surface in black. From an order volume of 250 chairs upwards, the variety of possible decorations is virtually infinite. One particular aesthetic detail of this new version of the S 43 is the visible edges made of beech plywood.
The S 43 with fine wood furnishings for indoor use represents a second new version of this chair. These furnishings make use of wood from oak and walnut trees. The third version is the S 43 made of weatherproof beech wood. Thanks to an innovation in the treatment of the wood, it is for the first time possible to manufacture weatherproof beech plywood and thus to render such material suitable for outdoor use.
The character of the wood is nevertheless preserved. These versions are also additionally available if so desired in combination with weatherproof fine wood furnishings, e.g. made of teak from controlled cultivation. The use of new materials thus provides the S 43 with a varied appearance and with additional areas of use. The frame for the new S 43 versions designated for outdoor use is made of stainless steel. The indoor version is available with either stainless steel or with chromed tubular steel.
Design:
Mart Stam
Year:
1931
Manufacturer:
Thonet
Mart Stam designs
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