Series 7™ Chair Re-interpreted
In the year 1955, architect and designer Arne Jacobsen designed the famous Series 7™ chair. By far the most sold chair in the world, this series chairs are four-legged, pressure moulded veneer chairs designed to be stacked on top of one another when not in use. Today, 60 years after the first Series hit the market, high profile international architects have commemorated the chair through their own series 7™ chair re-interpreted. These participants include the likes of Bjarke Ingels group (BIG), Carlos Ott & Carlos Ponce de León, Jean Nouvel, Jun Igarashi, Neri & Hu, Snøhetta and Zaha Hadid.
BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)
BIG architects conceptualize their re-interpretation from the way these series 7™ chairs can be stacked on top of each other an infinite number of times and also the layered veneer. The final design is a chair with 15 stacked seats that go all the way down to the legs, supporting the singular backrest.
Neri and Hu
Neri and Hu have re-interpreted the chair as a love seat of sorts with the left arm of each of two chairs holding onto one another from two opposite directions. A small dot table has been added in the center of this arrangement making it a complete set.
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid’s re-interpretation highlights and exaggerates the form along with its structural support system. Two continuously curving steel rods replace the original legs and sweep up to hug the edge of the backrest from behind. Painted in a vivid hue of glossy green, this design pays homage to the instantly recognizable form of the series 7™chair.
Jean Nouvel
In an almost yin and yang, Feng Shui type pattern, Jean Nouvel re-creates the series 7™ chair in his signature black and white, bold contrasting colors that play cleverly on the curves of the existing chair, creating optical illusions; especially when stacked together.
Snøhetta
Snøhetta has visualized this otherwise boardroom chair to be used for outdoor seating purposes. The re-interpreted version of the series 7™ chair by Snøhetta allows for the seat and the backrest to be independent of the legs. Orienting the form of the chair to an almost V-shape, the support system is formed at the junction of the seat and the back rest.
Carlos Ott & Carlos Ponce de León
Carlos Ott architects working in collaboration with Carlos Ponce de León architects altered the material of the series 7™chair, using colors that blend with natural surroundings in curving patterns that are derived from the anatomy of the chair.
Jun Igarashi
This environmentally conscious re-interpretation of the series 7™ chair by Jun Igarashi uses discarded wood as the material of assembly. The chair’s legs and sleek seat edge are subtly highlighted by introducing a burnt pink tone. These re-interpreted designs are all featured as a part of the travelling exhibition titled ‘7 cool architects’, which was opened at Belgium’s Design museum Gent on July 14th 2015.
BY: Priyanka Shah
Edited by: Zeynab Matar
