When a designer starts his project with new technology that is correct in context and application, he starts from a higher level. On the other hand, technology shouldn’t determine the exact form of the product itself; it is a means of expression, and contributes greatly to the aesthetics of the product, but the desirability of the product will also be shaped by other factors.1 Designers, like Thonet, develop their technology and use it to meet the needs surfacing in a product opportunity gap, using the new technology as a vehicle for achieving a successful product. In that way, technology has directly affected the aesthetics of chair design throughout the last century.

In 1830, Michael Thonet began experimenting with bending wood into curves as an alternative to carving wood when building chairs. Bending wood allowed Thonet to use less material and labour than was used in conventional carved chairs. The chairs weighed considerably less, while also being sold at a lower price giving Thonet an obvious advantage in the marketplace. In this way, Thonet made a contribution to effective industrial production and established a bond between design and technology that was entirely new.2 Thonet designed his chairs with interchangeable parts in mind. Thonet’s No.14 Chair, 1859, has been referred to as “the first consumer chair” 3 (see Fig. 1). It is a simple chair, but uses high technology for its era to define its form. Its strength, light weight, and practical price gained it the title of most popular commercial chair of the nineteenth century4 . The process of bending wood enabled Thonet to create shapes in his furniture that would not have been possible otherwise. The curves on Thonet’s Rocking Chair No.1, 1860, are intricate, and if cut from a panel of solid wood, would have been weak and would have failed because of the orientation of the grain. Surprisingly, Thonet’s bentwood chairs are quite strong, because the grain is orientated properly around the curves. Thonet’s rocker was entirely different than previous rockers in the field of furniture design. Most nineteenth century rockers were ordinary armchairs with rockers added (curved parts attached to the feet). The use of bentwood in a rocker was near perfect, providing a strong structure and beautiful form. Thonet echoes the Golden spiral in his Rocking Chair No.1, which is not a definite mimic, but close. Thonet tapered the ends of the bent pieces to allow for tight radii at the ends of parts. These tight radii finish off the lines something like one would finish a letter in a free style of calligraphy. The fluid curves in Rocking Chair No. 1 create a sense of rhythm to the piece. They also induce unifying harmony that is beautiful.

Charles and Rae Eames were instrumental in creating products with new materials. During the Second World War, the Eames were made aware of the vibration problems with metal splints used for supporting broken bones. They decided that they would take the opportunity to design and develop for production a moulded plywood splint that would reduce vibrations, and also be economical to produce. Their design was successful, and the American Forces ended up using 150,000 of them. After the war, the Eames’ applied what they learned from making splints to their chair designs. Since not much was known about moulding plywood, they experimented and learned as they created, determined to create a mass-produced, low priced chair of moulded plywood. Since veneers could be made efficiently by large manufacturers, and were therefore cheap enough to experiment with, the Eames had a golden opportunity to use plywood as an exploration material. The first series of experiments focussed on making the seat and back out of one piece of plywood. This proved unsuccessful as technology used did not co-operate with the design. A two piece seat and back was explored and proved to be technically sound and aesthetically pleasing. The Eames pioneered plywood chair construction, as no one before them knew much about laminating veneers, other than Michael Thonet, who abandoned the idea of using thin layers of wood in gluing up curved parts because of the time involved. The chairs were fastened with comfort inducing shock mounts between bolts, which proved to be a desirable innovation. Without these experiments in technology, this chair would not have existed, and many other chairs would not exist as they do today. One of their most successful chairs was the Lounge Chair Wood (LCW), which emerged as a completed design in 1946 (see Fig. 2). One chair that is a direct influence of the Eames` work is the `Shell` chair by Hans J. Wegner, 1963, available in painted beech or natural sycamore. Since the launch of the lounge chair series, production has not ceased. In 2000, Time Magazine named the molded-plywood lounge chair (LCW) the “best design of the twentieth century”. To keep the price of the LCW down, the design is simple, in contrast to the high technology designs that were emerging in that era. There are wonderful subtle details, like the tapering on the inside of the legs, and the tilt to the back rest. The chair radiates an invitation to relax, as it seems to be a sublime combination of structural stability and pleasing proportions. These chairs were available in select primary and secondary colours, but it is debatable that the most interesting are the ones finished in clear lacquer. The warm earthy tones of the wood veneer create a texture that invites one to touch, bringing a sense of sentimentality to the piece, representing the hours of work involved in the experimentation. The lines in this piece are somewhat predictable now, yet at the time of production were an innovation.

Alberto Meda’s “Lightlight” armchair, 1987, is an example of how technology shapes a chair’s aesthetics (see Fig. 3). The chair is extremely light, weighing a mere 0.98Kg. The chair has no additional decoration whatsoever, the ultimate goal of its allure being its weightlessness. The chair is constructed with a core of Nomex honeycomb that is covered over with carbon fibre that has been soaked in epoxy resin before being applied. The meshing in the carbon fibre is unidirectional, so as to achieve a non-rectilinear appearance. Meda was trained as an engineer and this might account for the chair’s non-decorative appearance, the focus being on technology. The “Lightlight” chair appears so skeletonized, that one might be afraid to sit on it. The seat on this chair is so thin, it looks delicate and fragile. This is part of the attraction to this chair, the opportunity to sit on something that should not be able to support a human. The chair has a somewhat futuristic feel to it, because it does not look like the chairs in common use. The chair also has an organic quality to it, the armrests looking somewhat like horns, or the tail fins of a whale. This chair gives the sensation of a quality line drawing, yet almost has a prehistoric artistic element to it, like it was inspired by one of the bulls on the wall of the Chauvet Cave, in France.

The “NXT” Stacking chair, 2001, by Peter Karpf, (see Fig. 4), is an example of chair aesthetics defined by technology (see Fig. 4). It is produced by Iform (Collection Voxia). Intense research resulted in a patented process of laying up thin layers of wood at specific alternating grain angles to achieve a strong product. The chair is one of the lightest wood chairs on the market, being just 3.5 kilograms. Intense, thirty-year long research into a whole series of chairs called VOXIA based on this technology and theme are currently available, all with the similar theme of formed plywood construction. The back, seat and legs are bonded and formed to create a one-piece construction that is optimal in strength and simplicity. This construction creates a fluidity to the piece that is energizing. The chair is very minimalist; it has no decoration, and draws its interest from its continuity of parts and its light construction, which, when using a normal plywood layup, would collapse under a human. The technology provides the basis for this chair, and the designer moulds it into what is desirable for the current market. The lightness of the chair is what draws one to it, to wonder how it is possible to support the average one hundred and seventy pound man on such a thin layer of wood. This chair is available in painted colours, as well as clear lacquered wood. One could argue that the clear lacquered wood is the most alluring, because it is the primary essence of its construction, and provides interesting texture. The structure of this chair creates a closed aesthetic. This chair stacks, which suits it for the public seating market. The wood used in these chairs is harvested from sustainably managed forests, in keeping with ecological footprint awareness. Because of the planned veneer pattern, the waste generated from the cuttings is very minimal. As well, only a small fraction of the usual amount of wood for a chair is needed to make one of these chairs. In 2001 the NXT Chair won the Red Dot Award, for best selection, given out by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen.

Ross Lovegrove is obsessed with designing things for the here and now, with no concern for yesterday. He is always developing ideas for new products that are inspired by body form, high technology, sensuality, and anatomical base. One of his most successful designs is called the “Go“ chair (see Fig. 5), is made of magnesium, a metal previously unused in furniture construction. Magnesium is one third lighter than aluminum, and is a fairly tough metal, making the chair useful outdoors and able to take a little abuse5. These properties allow the “Go” chair to employ fine tapered back legs. Magnesium allows much freedom to sculpt within the confines of the chair, as Lovegrove turns this chair into a futuristic praying mantis. This chair exerts an open This chair is also functionally ergonomic, which makes its flowing lines look even more desirable. This chair has wonderful sculpted qualities, like the angle on the front legs that wraps around the back of the person. Should this chair, in the future, ever become undesirable, then it can be recycled without much duress. This chair is available in polished magnesium, or powder coated white. The choice of colour in this chair lacks chroma, yet it could be argued that being monochromatic it is stronger as a design. It is part of the designer’s style to make his objects dependant upon their sculptural qualities, instead of flashy colours. The sculptural qualities evoke a sense of movement to the piece, the lines are smooth and constant. Some texture is added to the design in the choice of a wood veneer seating panel.

All the chairs in this essay are examples of exact symmetry, from the front views, progressing to occult symmetry from the side views. The top views is also exact symmetry. This creates a stable balance in the pieces. It has been stated that size is no accident. There is a proper spatial dimension for all objects.6 This element seems to change as the economic, social, and technological factors change. The chairs in this essay, referenced in chronological order, seem to get more minimal as time progresses. The designer might be in a position to choose materials for the feeling that they communicate and for their capability to serve a functional purpose.7 Technology has directly affected the aesthetics of chair design throughout the last century. The chairs in this essay are characterized by their materials, sometimes reinvented almost. Material exploration is a way of contemporizing a design, increasing its desirability. As the furniture market continues to get more and more saturated, material exploration will give an advantage to a designer looking to produce innovation.

Fig. 1 – No. 14 Armchair by Thonet

Fig. 2 – Lounge Chair Wood by Charles and Rae Eames

Fig. 3 – “Lightlight” Armchair by Alberto Meda

Fig. 4 – “NXT” Stacking Chair by Peter Karpf

Fig. 5 – “Go“ Chair by Ross Lovegrove

Works Cited

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Bueno, Patricia. Just Chairs. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2003
Byars, Mel. The Best Tables, Chairs, and Lights. Hove: Rotovision, 2005
Corrosion Source. Magnesium. http://://www.corrosionsource.com/handbook/periodic/12.htm

Fiell, Charlotte and Peter. Modern Chairs. New York: Tashen, 2002
Hubel, Vello, and Lussow, Diedra B. Focus on Designing. “Space, Form and Structure”. New York: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 1985

Husky. Magnesium Moulding. http://www.husky.ca/magnesium-0-259.html

Pile, John. Furniture: Modern and Postmodern, Design and Technology. New York: Wiley & Sons, 1990
Scandinaviandesign.com. http://scandinaviandesign.com/peterkarpf/index.htm
Sitting Down: The Art of the Chair. By Francoise Darmon. Dir. Olivier Megaton. DVD. Prineton: Videokinetics, 2004
Tiplady, Rachel. “Lovegrove: Naturally Creative”. Business Week 3 December 2005: 125-127
Ultra Modern. August 8,2007. Commercial Chairs: The Go Chair by Ross Lovegrove
Wilk, Christopher. Thonet: 150 Years of Furniture. Woodbury: Barron`s Educational Series, Inc., 1980