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HTMLText_062AD830_1140_E215_41B0_321699661E7F.html = CHAIR LIBRARY
SALEM COLLEGE
A collaborative effort between the Sutton Initiative for Design Education (S.I.D.E.) and Salem College, the Chair Library is a unique resource that no other college or university in the country has assembled. Students can touch, sit, sketch, photograph, study, and be inspired by the collection. Located in the Robert E. Elberson Fine Arts Center, The library houses 45 chairs considered iconic by designers and furniture historians alike. Each chair carries its own mystique, earned through innovative design, material use, technological advancement, and creativity.
Named in honor of Martha Allene Stevens Sutton and the Salem Academy Class of 1971, S.I.D.E. has worked tirelessly to improve Salem College’s design research library. Along with Martha’s husband, Charles, the Suttons have been the driving force behind the Chair Library. The Suttons have also donated their personal library of over 1,000 books on furniture, architecture, design, history, and interiors. This collection is available at the Gramley library on the Salem College main campus.
Dr. Rosa Otero
Architect. Curator.
Ph: +1 336 721 2770
rosa.otero@salem.edu
Dr. Rosa Otero is the Curator for the SIDE Chair Library and an Associate Professor of Design, Chair of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design.
She is also the architect who designed the space and display for the Chair Library. All are welcome to visit the Chair Library through a LIVE guided tour or by arranging a time with Dr. Otero at Salem College.
Barcelona is as modern today as when it was introduced in 1929 and is among the most recognized, coveted and specified furniture designs in the world.
Reflecting the unadorned rectilinear lines and use of industrial materials at the heart of the Bauhaus movement, Barcelona was designed by German-born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1855-1969) and his compatriot, interior designer Lilly Reich (1885-1947), and embodies his often-quoted maxim that “less is more.”
Specifically created as modern thrones for the king and queen of Spain when they visited the German pavilion during the Barcelona Exposition in 1929, Mies van der Rohe aimed for what he called a “monumental” chair. The original pair featured polished chrome for the sleek scissor-shape frame and ivory pigskin for the cushions. Even the pitch of the seat implies power and authority.
Barcelona is as modern today as when it was introduced in 1929 and is among the most recognized, coveted and specified furniture designs in the world.
Reflecting the unadorned rectilinear lines and use of industrial materials at the heart of the Bauhaus movement, Barcelona was designed by German-born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1855-1969) and his compatriot, interior designer Lilly Reich (1885-1947), and embodies his often-quoted maxim that “less is more.”
Specifically created as modern thrones for the king and queen of Spain when they visited the German pavilion during the Barcelona Exposition in 1929, Mies van der Rohe aimed for what he called a “monumental” chair. The original pair featured polished chrome for the sleek scissor-shape frame and ivory pigskin for the cushions. Even the pitch of the seat implies power and authority.
What is often called simply “the Eames Chair,” The 670 was originally produced as a gift for filmmaker Billy Wilder in 1956 as a lush, modern interpretation of an English club chair. The designers wanted it to have “the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt,” and it has been in continuous production by Herman Miller since 1957.
The chair consists of three shells of several layers of molded plywood for the headrest, backrest. The seat is upholstered in soft leather over plush cushioning. Expensive even at $637 retail when it was introduced, it remains a much-desired piece. Frequently seen in movies and television shows, a great many people think of it as the “Frasier” chair – testament to its showcase on the set design of that popular television show and enduring style.
What is often called simply “the Eames Chair,” The 670 was originally produced as a gift for filmmaker Billy Wilder in 1956 as a lush, modern interpretation of an English club chair. The designers wanted it to have “the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt,” and it has been in continuous production by Herman Miller since 1957.
The chair consists of three shells of several layers of molded plywood for the headrest, backrest. The seat is upholstered in soft leather over plush cushioning. Expensive even at $637 retail when it was introduced, it remains a much-desired piece. Frequently seen in movies and television shows, a great many people think of it as the “Frasier” chair – testament to its showcase on the set design of that popular television show and enduring style.
Physically and psychologically comforting, the Womb Chair was introduced in the late 1940s by Eero Saarinen, who said the chair gives its user “a sublime feeling of security…”
This example of organic midcentury modernism has been in constant production for almost 70 years at Knoll, where co-founder Florence Knoll asked Saarinen to create a chair that she could curl up in.
Saarinen was deeply interested in the ergonomics related to his aesthetic principle that a chair should be a piece of sculpture in a room and also provide a flattering background when it’s in use. He spent two years refining the design by observing and sketching the ways people actually sat in chairs.
Physically and psychologically comforting, the Womb Chair was introduced in the late 1940s by Eero Saarinen, who said the chair gives its user “a sublime feeling of security…”
This example of organic midcentury modernism has been in constant production for almost 70 years at Knoll, where co-founder Florence Knoll asked Saarinen to create a chair that she could curl up in.
Saarinen was deeply interested in the ergonomics related to his aesthetic principle that a chair should be a piece of sculpture in a room and also provide a flattering background when it’s in use. He spent two years refining the design by observing and sketching the ways people actually sat in chairs.
BARCELONA
Mies Van de Rohe
BARCELONA
Mies Van de Rohe
At a time in the 1960s and ‘70s when many furniture designers were experimenting with cardboard, the curved lines and construction techniques used in Wiggle were revolutionary. Introduced in 1972, Wiggle comprised 60 layers of cardboard bonded and screwed together. Part of a collection called “Easy Edges”, Wiggle retailed originally for as little as $35. It is now an expensive collector’s item.
At a time in the 1960s and ‘70s when many furniture designers were experimenting with cardboard, the curved lines and construction techniques used in Wiggle were revolutionary. Introduced in 1972, Wiggle comprised 60 layers of cardboard bonded and screwed together. Part of a collection called “Easy Edges”, Wiggle retailed originally for as little as $35. It is now an expensive collector’s item.
The Thonet Side Chair No.14, introduced in 1859, is the single most mass-produced and replicated chair in history. It is still seen throughout the world in cafes, coffee shops and homes.
The appeal of this iconic chair was its revolutionary design. It required only six pieces which could be easily mass produced and shipped in a flat pack making it extremely affordable.
The Thonet Side Chair No.14, introduced in 1859, is the single most mass-produced and replicated chair in history. It is still seen throughout the world in cafes, coffee shops and homes.
The appeal of this iconic chair was its revolutionary design. It required only six pieces which could be easily mass produced and shipped in a flat pack making it extremely affordable.
Originally designed for a Parisian apartment in 1929, The Bibendum Chair was inspired by one of the world’s oldest trademarks–the famous Michelin Man–a rotund figure of inflated tires that has represented the French company since the late 1800s.
The semicircular rolls of the back and arms sit on the chair seat and are supported by a semicircular base of chrome tubing, blending evocative feminine forms and geometric shapes into an iconic chair recognized throughout the world. Designed with a feminine perspective, it manages to be voluptuous and spare at the time.
Originally designed for a Parisian apartment in 1929, The Bibendum Chair was inspired by one of the world’s oldest trademarks–the famous Michelin Man–a rotund figure of inflated tires that has represented the French company since the late 1800s.
The semicircular rolls of the back and arms sit on the chair seat and are supported by a semicircular base of chrome tubing, blending evocative feminine forms and geometric shapes into an iconic chair recognized throughout the world. Designed with a feminine perspective, it manages to be voluptuous and spare at the time.
CHAIR LIBRARY
SALEM COLLEGE
A collaborative effort between the Sutton Initiative for Design Education (S.I.D.E.) and Salem College, the Chair Library is a unique resource that no other college or university in the country has assembled. Students can touch, sit, sketch, photograph, study, and be inspired by the collection. Located in the Robert E. Elberson Fine Arts Center, The library houses 45 chairs considered iconic by designers and furniture historians alike. Each chair carries its own mystique, earned through innovative design, material use, technological advancement, and creativity.
Named in honor of Martha Allene Stevens Sutton and the Salem Academy Class of 1971, S.I.D.E. has worked tirelessly to improve Salem College’s design research library. Along with Martha’s husband, Charles, the Suttons have been the driving force behind the Chair Library. The Suttons have also donated their personal library of over 1,000 books on furniture, architecture, design, history, and interiors. This collection is available at the Gramley library on the Salem College main campus.
ROSA OTERO
Architect. Curator.
Ph: +1 336 721 2770
rosa.otero@salem.edu
Dr. Rosa Otero is the Curator for the SIDE Chair Library and an Associate Professor of Design, Chair of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design.
She is also the architect who designed the space and display for the Chair Library. All are welcome to visit the Chair Library through a LIVE guided tour or by arranging a time with Dr. Otero at Salem College.