The History of Chair Design: 18th Century to Current - Case Study Example

The History of Chair Design (18th Century to Current) History is often loaded with evidence of human evolution from the earliest man to the present man. One of the major outstanding features of human evolution is concerning evolution of human posture. As the human posture was evolving, the need to adapt to this posture was necessary in order to ensure comfort. Therefore, human beings invented and design structures to facilitate their comfortable living. Designing of chairs was one of the greatest achievements of humans. A chair refers to a structure, which is raised from the surface, is stable, and is commonly used by one person to sit (Dampierre 5). The actual and historic sense of the term chair is the fact that it is supported by mostly three or four legs and has a back. However, the chair can have a different shape depending on the chair’s specifications criteria. Even though it has been stated that a chair has a back, some form of chairs such as stool do not have a back. Chairs do have various designs depending on the culture and the surrounding environment. The chair design may have drilled holes for decoration, low gaps or back for ventilation, or may be made of porous materials (Greene 21). The history of chair is as old as the history of humankind; chairs have been used in many centuries. Although chair is of extreme simplicity and antiquity, for many years it was used more as an article or item of dignity and state especially among the kings. However, this has changed over time with chair becoming a structure of ordinary use. It is undisputable that chair design has evolved in terms of design and technology. Therefore, this discussion will focus on the history of chair design in particular reference from the 18th century to the current. To begin with, it is important to consider the essence of design in chair just like in any other article or structure. Chair design puts into consideration the intended purpose and usage of the chair, stackability, weight, stain resistance, foldability, artistic design, durability, and ergonomics, which emphasizes on how comfortable the occupant of the chair is. The seating position of the occupant is determined by the intended usage (Fiell 15-16). As such, there are various designs for intended usage. For instance, easy chairs are most suitable for entertainment activities such as watching movies or television, task chairs are designed for specific persons depending on the nature of their work. Therefore, the essence of chair design is to ensure that certain purposes are met in addition to facilitating that the occupant of the chair is comfortable. The logic behind ergonomic design is to ensure that the occupant’s weight is distributed to different parts of the body. Chair design should therefore be in such a way that it does not compromise the occupants comfort and performance of tasks. Factors such as the height of the seat are very important and needs to be considered during the designing of chair (Fiell 28). This is because a chair, which is higher, may lead to feet dangling thus increasing pressure on the knees’ underside. On the other hand, a lower chair may result to shifting of too much weight towards the seat bones. The period from 18th century to current has witnessed major innovations about chair designs. Wood workers played a very critical role in these innovations. The most notable one is Thomas Chippendale who even left his own design marks the history of chair. The chairs by Chippendale were designed artistically; legs, splats, and carved back pieces were proportioned well. Most of Chippendale’s chairs have either square legs or cabriole. Chippendale design dominated most of the 18th century. The design reflected the some of the English tastes of that time and incorporated Chinese, Gothic, and English motifs (Raizman 9). The cabriole leg was Chippendale’s signature form. The cabriole design mostly employed the Queen Anne- style. There are six different Chippendale style legs namely- the club, the late Chippendale, the lion’s paw, the spade, the Marlborough, and the ball and claw. Chippendale’s chair design was reproduced in subsequent years not only in America but also in most parts of the world (Greene 53). It is important to note at this point that as man evolved his seating posture also evolved. The former bolt- upright demeanour of aristocracy and court that was dominant prior to the 18th century was replaced by a new half- reclining posture and a more informal manners. This implied that new chairs were to be designed to accommodate these new postures. This saw the development of Rococo chairs in 1720 in Paris. These chairs had removable frames, which were secured by clips to facilitate changes from winter to summer. In mid-18th century, another chair design was developed in Paris; the Parisian neoclassical chairs were made in the late 1760s. The chairs had straight tapering fluted legs that had been joined by a block at the seat rail and had some architectural mouldings, which characterized the chair’s style. Gorges Jacob, Jean- Claude Sean, and Louis Delanois were the three leading chair makers that were credited with this development (Dampierre 67-9). Rocking chair is one of the chair designs that were very prominent from the 18th century and many years after; this design is still prominent in most parts of the world to date. Rocking chair that is also known as rocker is a chair that has two curved bands of wood (called rockers), these rockers are attached to the bottom of the legs. The occupant has the ability of rocking back and forth by pushing lightly his feet or shifting his weight since the chair only contacts the floor at two points (Mauney 19). These chairs are considered as among the most comfortable because even when the user is sitting without rocking, the chair rocks backwards automatically until the occupant’s centre of gravity is met. Rockers have varieties that include; those with gliders or swinging braces and those mounted on a platform or spring base. They are very comfortable for playing checkers and reading among other activities. Rocking chairs were further designed in the 19th and 20th century. In the 19th century, A German craftsman, Michael Thonet, developed the first bentwood rocking chair. Roman influenced this new design and Greek designs. In the 20th century especially in the 1920s, another form of rocking chairs was becoming popular; folding rocking chairs were widely loved and used in the Europe and US especially for travel purposes and outdoor activities. By 1950s, rocking chairs were very popular, as people liked their deluxe appearance, their ergonomic nature, and durability (Mauney 56-7). The 20th century has been dubbed a ‘century of chairs’ because of the major designs that were created during this period and the popularity that these designs gained. The period after the First World War saw the emergence of production techniques and new man- made materials that played a critical role in creation of new furniture designs (Fiell 13). The following are some of the new designs created in the 20th century; Gerrit Thomas Rietveld design. This design was named after the Dutch architect, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, whose design caused a sensation among the furniture and trends enthusiasts. The chair is three- dimensional and it is made from standard lengths of wood, and requires that the person making it to have the skill of how to go about it. The chair appeared in Red and Blue colours (Fiell 47). After Gerrit Thomas Rietveld design, there was a new design that caused much sensation as well. The B3 design created by Marcel Breuer. The chair was slender and did not have the conventional arms or legs making many people to be frightened to sit on it. The design of the chair was much superior compared to some of the previous designs in terms of structure, detailing, and proportion. In addition, since it was made of non- reinforced tubular steel, the chair was more comfortable and more resilient. In the mid-20th century, more advances had been made in chair design development. Lounge Chair and Ottoman was one of the most famous during this period. Charles and Ray Eames designed it. Many designers and those who had a chance of using it as among the most comfortable chairs consider the chair that has graced the chairs’ history. Its designers had designed in it a separate component to each single function such as a seat, connecting joint between parts, a headrest, the five-legged support, and a backrest among others. This design has been viewed to reflect the American functionalism (Design Museum). Most recently, chair designs have developed further to accommodate the ever-increasing demand for comfort among people of the modern days. People in modern days have put emphasis on their comfort and getting value for their money. This has prompted the designers to find new ways of meeting their customers’ needs without compromising the quality of the chairs. Therefore, the chairs designed in late 20th century and in 21st century are more superior with more features than those designed previously. The use of technology in construction of chairs has resulted to creation of better and superior designs. Technology has facilitated construction of chairs such as the Slumber chairs, recliner chairs, massage chairs, beanbag chairs, metal- legged chairs, and pod chairs (Raizman 29). Here are some of the modern chairs; the first chair design to be considered is PlayStation chair that was created in 2000 by Jerszy Seymour. The chair combines a circular, soft seat that has an upholstered leg rest on which the occupant can rest his leg while playing a video game or while watching television. The chair has a playful appearance enabling the occupant to feel more relaxed and comfortable. Another design under consideration is the Glide Sofa, which was created in 2001 by Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec. The uniqueness of this chair is that it combines the models of the conventional sofa with extended leg rest. This makes the sofa possible to be lounged upon or simply be sat on. Besides, it has a useful shelf that has been attached to its back. This shelf can be used for storing games consoles, DVDs, books, and other objects that in most cases clutter on the floor (Raizman 102). Lastly, Venus Natural Crystal Chair is one of the most recent chairs as it was designed in 2008 by Tokujin Yoshioka. The chair is a reflection of the height that chair designs have reached. This chair presents a new experimental body of work in chair design; it is made from the natural crystals. During its making, it is submerged in a water tank thus providing an ideal condition for the growth of crystals while still attached to the fibre structure. The chair’s shape then evolves as the crystals are multiplying. The chair not only conforms to the power of nature but also relies on man- made processes and applications (Design Museum). In conclusion, it is evidently clear from the discussion that chair has been embedded in man’s history for a very long time. The evolution of chair designs was inspired by numerous factors such as technology, culture, posture evolution, and changing lifestyles of human beings. It is clear from the discussion that, even though there were landmark advancements in chair design throughout history, the period starting from 18th century onwards provided witnessed more creative and new development. This scenario can be attributed to two major factors namely; technological advancements that facilitated better and easier ways of constructing chairs thus creation of superior chairs than previous years. The examples given in the discussion indicate that chair designs are taking different forms in order to meet the lifestyle and work demands of its users. The examples also show that the chair designers are willing to use technology and creative ideas to experiment new designs; Venus Natural Crystal Chair is a confirmation of this proposition. Works Cited Dampierre, F. Chairs: A History. Harry Abrams Publishers, New York, NY: 2006. Print. Design Museum. A Century of Chairs. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. Fiell, Charlotte. Design of the 20th Century. London: Taschen, 2000. Print. Fiell, Charlotte. Modern Chairs (Midsize). London: Taschen, 2002. Greene, Jeffrey. American Furniture of the 18th Century: History, Technique, and Structure. New Town, CT: Taunton Press, 1996. Print. Mauney, Joshua. The Rocking Chair. Mustang, Oklahoma: Tate Publishing & Enterprise, 2007.Print. Raizman, David. History of Modern Design. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. Read More