Wooden chairs: the very latest at the Salone del Mobile 2024
Calligaris, Oleandro, Stand Salone del Mobile 2024 - Ph. Ruggiero Scardigno
One of the most frequently used everyday objects ever meets innovation in style, materials and design. The natural material par excellence leads the way
“A chair is a very difficult object,” Mies van der Rohe said in Time Magazine in February 1957. “A skyscraper is almost easier.”
There are practically no other objects in daily use in which essential function dictates the style laws. Which is why there are a great many designers who have, at some point in their careers, embraced the challenge: interpreting in an unexpected manner a chair that is both light, robust and comfortable.
These days, materials technology makes hitherto inconceivable solutions possible.
This is the case with Catifa Carta from Arper, a re-edition of Catifa 53, designed in 2001 by Lievore Altherr Molina, and Arper’s first product to obtain environmental certifications. It is now being proposed in the new, revolutionary material Papershell, derived from wood by-product. An innovation like no other before, Papershell lessens Catifa Carta’s environmental impact – at the end of its life cycle the material can be reduced to biochar, a form of plant charcoal, successfully retaining the CO2 sequestered during the previous life phases. Catifa Carta is available with either a coffee or graphite coloured shell, a four-legged steel base in black, a steel sled base in black and rust, or a black aluminium trestle base with or without wheels.
Héra Straw from Pedrali and designed by Patrick Jouin, has acquired new lightness and now comes with a cellulose rope seat woven by hand in Italy and treated with water repellent, a three-dimensional curved plywood backrest and oval-shaped legs. It is available in FSC® C114358 certified ash or American walnut, and painted with water-based paints of plant origin.
The 1 2 3 Chair, conceived by Michael Anastassiades and part of the 2024 Molteni&C collection, is a contemporary take on the classic slatted back chair and features one of the designer’s favourite concepts, the empty backrest. Made of beech wood, it is available in a burgundy red or petrol blue lacquered finish and a padded seat in Utopia leather, or a black-lacquered frame with seat in raw-cut black leather and backrest composed of three metal supports finished with a double layer of glued leather and, lastly, with a black-lacquered frame and backrest, adaptable to a huge range of fabrics and leathers from the Molteni&C Collection curated by Marta Ferri.
Arper, Catifa Carta, design by Llevore Altherr Molina, Stand Salone del Mobile 2024 - Ph. Andrea Mariani
Pedrali, Héra Straw - Ph. Andrea Garuti
Molteni&C, 123, design by Michael Anastassiades
Mara, Typo, design by AMDL Circle, Stand Salone del Mobile 2024 - Ph. Ruggiero Scardigno
Very Wood, Collezione Lisboa Barrio, design by Matteo Thun / Benedetto Fasciana
Karimoku Furniture, N-DC04 | Dining Chair - Ph. Andrea Mariani
Nikari, Faneeri Folding Chair, design by Jonas Forsmann, Stand Salone del Mobile 2024 - Ph. Andrea Mariani
Venedia, Acquavite, design by Alessandro Stabile
Ritzwell & Co., Constantino Armchair
Nagano Interior, DC352
Typo stems from the recent collaboration between Mara and AMDL Circle, the firm founded by Michele De Lucchi. A dynamic chair, packed with harmonious contrasts and the upshot of calibrated technical experimentation, which involved bending the tube holding the backrest and seat together in an unusual fashion, “the wrong way,” as the firm and the designer put it.
The Lisboa Barrio collection from Very Wood, designed by Matteo Thun / Benedetto Fasciana, consists of chairs, dining chairs and lounge chairs in ash wood with a padded or synthetic or natural hand-woven fine rope seat. The latter is available in single or two-tone colour.
Simplicity and a blend of artisanal and hi-tech are the qualities Karimoku Furniture has chosen for the design of the N-DC04 | Dining Chair. Although the chair is largely composed of straight elements, a single angled stretcher has been added to lend direction and character.
The Faneeri folding chair, designed by Jonas Forsmann for Nikari, exemplifies a clever balance of comfort and lightweight structure. This folding chair is characterised by its naturally curved backrest, achieved using thin cross-laminated veneers that connect the front and back legs.
Perfect for relaxation, Acquavite, designed by Alessandro Stabile for Venedia, is a space-saving chair made up of two wide shells in curved ash-veneered plywood interacting with a tubular steel frame which seem to move freely in the space. Available in natural or stained wood, with or without cushions, it comes with an ottoman that can be used as a footstool or a single-seater bench.
The Oleandro lounge chair from Calligaris is an essential yet highly harmonious blend of elegance and comfort. With an ash wood frame, the generous seat and backrest can be customised in made-to-order fabrics to become the ideal chair for connecting the dining and living areas.
The Constantino Armchair by Ritzwell & Co. interprets classic elegance on a modern key. In solid oak or walnut, the curved armrests feature two different contrasting finishes, in leather or hide, applied with two different sorts of stitching: the leather version is hand-sewn, while the hide version is piped. The padding of the backrest and seat, which consists of layers of materials of varying strengths, offers outstanding ergonomic support.
Finally, DC352 from Nagano Interior boasts a lightweight design, making it perfect for a variety of lifestyles. It is stackable, meaning that several chairs can be put together in a compact space during cleaning or restructuring. The three-dimensional design of the seat and the backrest that curves around it prevent fatigue even when sitting for long periods.
