Hella Jongerius Rotterdam Chair
In her work, Hella Jongerius often seeks points of connection in the history of design, with the specific traditions of her native Holland playing a central role. She is primarily interested in the images of interiors and objects stored in our collective memories. Time and again, she turns to this reservoir of images to find motifs that she incorporates into her designs with intelligence and occasional irony. Through formal references as well as through the selection of materials and colour, she succeeds both in evoking associations and in defining the atmospheric effect generated by her objects.
With the Rotterdam Chair, Hella Jongerius puts forward her interpretation of the classic robust wooden chair. The triple-stacking seat is conceived as a type of standard chair and gives an initial impression of solidity and comfort. The Rotterdam Chair consists of a proven combination of solid wood construction and organically shaped plywood elements and follows in the established tradition of the wooden frame chair.
The design might initially give a "deja-vu" impression yet its qualities reveal themselves in an abundance of details and the success of the composition. For instance, the slight tapering of the front chair legs and the sharp bend between the rear legs and the back give the robust construction a certain lightness and dynamic, while the ingenious connections between the components underscore the care taken in the manufacturing process.
A translucent coloured inlay at the back edge of the seat not only creates a colourful accent, but also highlights the necessity of putting a notch here in the three-dimensional moulding of the plywood. Gliders developed especially for the chair in the same material enable the Rotterdam Chair to seemingly float over the surface below.
The chair is also available in partially lacquered or semi-upholstered versions, making it even more of a collage of materials and colours - a formal approach that can meanwhile be said to distinguish Hella Jongerius' design vocabulary.
Design:
Hella Jongerius
Manufacturer:
Vitra
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