Café Müller

In this modern dance piece, which is set in the café Pina Bausch used to frequent during her childhood years in post-war Germany, chairs play an integral role. Crowding the stage, they outnumber the dancers and are constantly moved around and thrown about during the performance.

In anticipation of the next production of ‘Café Mueller’, here is a selection of chairs we think would constitute the best corps de chaise:

The Armchair 423  by Artek has similar stark lines to the chair used in the 1985 Café Muller production (above), but with arm which would increase the desired impression of clutter  and congestion. 

Chair 66, by Alvar Aalto for Artek, has a distinctly Scandinvian look which keeps the intended institutional feel, without being so ‘interrogation room’.

 Designed by Ilmari Tapiovaara and revived by Artek, the ‘Domus’ chair’s arm structure has the elbowy-awkwardness yet strange beauty of Bausch’s choreography.

Masters Chair

A lot lighter and easily stackable, the ‘Masters’ chair by Philippe Starck for Kartell seems like it would be the set crew’s first pick, although its dainty legs and expressive lines indubitably identify it one of the dancers. 

Neve chair

With its tightly bowed curves, the ‘Neve’ chair by Piero Lissoni speaks more to the aftermath of the war on the Eastern front (Café Murakami?).

 Tudor chair

Because you can’t put a ‘Naval’ chair on the stage at the Opera Garnier, the ‘Tudor’ chair by Jaime Hayon for Established and Sons is a good dressier option for a more lavish interior.

 As far as dance performances go, ‘Café Mueller’ has a fair amount of stunts. Between constantly bumping into the furniture and falling out of each other’s arms, it’s a surprise the dancers don’t turn black and blue after a few performances.  Why not limit the damage by putting out nice comfy ‘Sacco’ chairs rather than the usual hard-edged seat?

Victoria ghost

What better way to make reference to the ghost of chairs past, than by specifying the ‘Ghost’ chair itself? Also makes the bumping into furniture all the time a lot more credible, bringing the focus back to the dancers. 

Meda Slim

Putting on ‘Café Mueller’ with the theater/dance group from work? The ‘Meda Slim’ by Antonio Citterio for Vitra is the perfect chair for an office production of this compelling work.

 And lastly, let us not forget our cherished bambini and their end of the year show: the ‘N65’ children’s chair by Artek should do the trick.

Claire Toussaint

All Dressed Up

It’s award season, a time to get gussied-up in your finest upholstery.

Here is our best-dressed list: 

Under cover

The F-A-B chair by Stockholm-based studio Farg & Blanche definitely lives up to its acronym.

Its thin, discreet design has the hanger-like qualities of a runway-model, making it the perfect mannequin for the upholstered dresses that were created for it. 

This ‘paper doll’ system makes for a rapid and seamless ‘day-to-night’ transition, the home-décor equivalent of a dash of black eyeliner and a couple extra drops of No 5 for the more subtle choices, all the way to a fully sequined dress and loud lipstick for the more daring options.

How we roll

Slightly more naked when undressed, Noe Duchaufour Lawrance’s latest chair for  Petites Fritures, the ‘Market’, is a bare frame with a slatted cover draped over it.

The ‘Market’s structure is stackable without the cover, which means the latter is left free to lie on the beach, or make giant maki rolls with. 

All Wrapped up

The ‘Kiru’, by Giopato+Coombes for Living Divani, has all the careful folding of a Kimono. Makes sense, as its name is derived from the Japanese verb ‘to wear’.

Its continuously smiling, bottom-heavy seat and puckered dimples give the ‘Kiru’ the presence of a happy Buddha; a good place to sit cross-legged and drink chai. 

Cozy Cloak 

Nicely draped under a thick wool cover, the ‘Cape’ sofa by Konstantin Grcic for Established and Sons has a bit of a slumber-party-superhero vibe. Add popcorn, a tween adventure movie and Spiderman-pajamas for the perfect night in.

A Little Negligee 

A little innocent and a little scandalous, Flos’ ‘Rosy Angelis’ by Philippe Starck sports one short and transparent flouncy skirt, exposing its gracefully thin pins.

Straight laced

Nika Zupanc’s ‘Modesty’ sofa is all business in front, with a little bit of boudoir in the back…   

by Claire Toussaint

In with the old, in with the new

Maybe Grandma was on to something pairing that old club chair with the faded Persian rug she’s had since the last war. Maybe a modern interior does not have to look like the inside of Karim Rashid’s brain after all. Maybe the classics just need a little freshening up for the new year.

In the spirit of making a something old into a something new, FREAKS free architects gave this Parisian apartment a face-lift by cutting directly through wainscoting and moldings to create contemporary spaces while conserving the Napoleon era decorative elements. It goes to show, there is no need to overdo lipo and implants, less renovation is more renovation.

Have you ever wanted to draw mustaches on the dusty portraits in your grandfather’s study? Fornasetti has, and has given many a countess a youthful comeback on a plate or side table.

Inspired by the decorative frieze lining the ceiling of his Amsterdam apartment, Marcel Wanders conceived the ‘Skygarden’ pendant light so everyone could take a piece of it home with them.

As the decorative molding is only situated inside the light with the outer shell left simple and modern, the light creates a charming surprise when guests sit down at a table it is hung over.

 Old carpets are the new new carpets. The more distressed, the better; but decolorized and overdyed to artfully underline statement modern furniture.

Another piece that recycles beautifully is the Artek chair, which has not been out of style since 1935. So much so in fact, that there is a whole market for second hand, with a specialized 2^nd cycle store in Helsinki.

The current master of classic style with a twist is definitely Spanish designer Jaime Hayon.

Taking inspiration from a mixture of Louis, Georges, Charles and Victoria, the man who singlehandedly brought the knickknack back cleverly uses gilding, tufting and hand painting alongside more contemporary finishing techniques to bring to life a quirky collection of furnishings for the modern-day Marie-Antoinette.

 by Claire Toussaint

Season's Greetings

Alternative Upholstery

Beyond fiber and down, here is a series of furniture pieces where designers tried to think differently about upholstery…

Tokujin Yoshioka uses fabric in a completely different way to create a flower-like effect for the ‘Bouquet’ chair. The upholstery of hand sewn fabric ‘petals’ becomes the cushion rather than covering one.

What Hans Bellmer did to his girlfriend Unica Zurn (see below), Meike Harde is doing to foam mats, creating a not only aesthetically interesting but functional pieces with integrated storage.

'Tenir au Frais' by Hans Bellmer

Somewhere between Christo and a spider, the Thread-wrapping-machine designed by Anton Alvarez envelops pieces of furniture in colorful thread, replacing nails and screws to hold it together, with surprising results.

A close cousin of knit-bombing, this crochet method is an interesting way to dress up some of the less padded furniture options. Le Corbusier’s LC4 has never looked so cozy.

Why separate pillows from the sofa when the whole composition could be covered in a single slip-cover?

 

Who says sofas should be filled with either foam or down? Certainly not Ola Giertz, who decided to fill transparent poufs with hair. Modern take on old-timey mattresses? Quite a novel eco-friendly idea, although I’m not sure it passes CA 117.

By Claire Toussaint