Chairs

Functionalism, according to George Marcus, is “the notion that objects made to be used should be simple, honest, and direct; well adapted to their purpose; bare of ornament; standardized; machine-made, and reasonably priced; and expressive of their structure and materials.” Many opposed this view and movements such as the Arts and Crafts had created a market for its separated genre. Starting with the Sussex chair, this timeline analyzes the pathway the functionalism develops on.Although the Morris and Co. decided to create home decors that both the makers and the purchaser could be proud of, their goal was over-shadowed by other products that were competing with lower costs.




1864: Ford Madox
Sussex

As a response to the industrialization
of everyday goods, Morris and Co.
took their part in the Arts & Crafts
movement by producting hand crafted
home decors including chairs. Ironically,
though, the chairs were only aordable
to the wealthy class, and some machinery
was used in producing textiles.

1925: Marcel Breuer
Wassily, Model No. B3

Design has many great functions and
one of them is to push the limits on
manufacturing techniques. The use of
steel tubing on this chair was revolutionary.
With a German steel manufacturer’s perfection
in creating a seamless steel tubing was the
creation of the Wassily chair that was
simply mass-producible. The Wassily chair
opened up a new trend in chair designs
and the use of steel tubing.

1965: Willie Landels
Throw-away

Joining the 60s trend of disposable
yet fashionable goods was the
Throw-away chair. Design to be
easily manufactured, the frameless
and simple polyurethane was
inexpensive. The polyurethane was
covered in “wet-look” vinyl which
was the trend at the time.

1972: Frank Gehry
Wiggle Chair

Initially designed to be a low-cost piece, the
popularity of the design of the chair bumped
up the price tag to an unaordable price tag.
The 60 layer of corrugated cardboard cut-outs
can hold up to thousands of lbs. Also, the use
of recycled corrugated carboard adds a great
deal to its popularity.

2004: Emiliano Godoy
Knit Chair

Dealing with the more recent market demand,
the Knit Chair strives to solve multiple design
problems at once. Built with all organic, FSC
certified pieces of wooden panels and 100%
cotton to hold the pieces together, the chair
is known to be comfortable as well. This chair’s
rigid but soft structure bends just enough for
maximum physical comfort, and its choice in
materials that are all biodegradable allows
maximum comfort for your conscience as well.

The machine made furniture proved effective in cost but could not prove itself too aesthetically pleasing. Combining both the cost effectiveness and aesthetics can be found in the Wassily chair by Marcel Breuer. This chair was revolutionary in its advancement in manufacturing techniques. This chair was easily mass-producible and aesthetically pleasing. Pushing the boundaries of manufacturability, the design was simple enough to be mass-produced, and designed to be ornamented in its own style. Although it can be argued that the industrialization had limited the designs of products, it can also be said that the industrialization paved a new pathway for a trend towards new forms and aesthetics. Also, the frameless polyurethane couch, Throw-Away chair by Willie Landels, was developed on the basis that it was easily manufactured, but the simplicity had taken off any unnecessary ornaments but just the form reflecting its function as a sitting device. If anything ornate, the chair’s cover was “wet-look” vinyl, which reflects the trend of the time. With the trend of disposable goods at the time, pollution had become a concern. As a response to such a problem, sustainability or eco design had been added to the list of requirements of a functionalistic design. Frank Gehry’s Wiggle chair is a great example. Made up of recycled cardboard was a form that could withhold thousands of pounds. More recent example of such a trend is the all-organic Knit chair by Emiliano Godoy. This chair is biodegradable and amazingly comfortable as well because of its rigid, but subtly forgiving form of the chair.