Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1533677
BENJAMIN JOHNSTON Benjamin Johnston Design I would be the Womb chair, designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. The chair embodies what I think to be classic, curated, and cool. Its enduring popularity is a testament to its unique combination of artistry, innovation, and comfort. BRANDON FONTENOT Brandon Fontenot Interiors I would be a chair by Martin Eisler. I love the anthropomorphic quality. It gives me the sense that if one sits in it, the chair will close in around you like a Venus flytrap. I love the strong architecture and frame. The exposed support is honest and gives a sense that the chair's got ya. MICHAEL HSU Michael Hsu Office of Architecture I t would be the 1927 MR20 chair designed by Mies van der Rohe. Comfortable enough for a casual dinner but not for lounging in. It's period perfect, and I love its simplicity and clarity of design. What you see is what you get. It's timely and timeless. It's made of only two materials, contrasting chrome with natural woven rattan. The caning is a story of its use and age, the shaped chromed steel purely a sculptural expression of its industrial-age birth. It's certainly not for everyone, but I love how early-20th-century modernism balances and enriches the vibe in a more traditionally designed space. Layers create richness and a deeper design story. Claude Lalanne and the Hosta hair COURTNAY TARTT ELIAS Creative Tonic Design I would pick one of the poetic designs of François-Xavier Lalanne and his wife, Claude — notably, the vibrant Hosta chair designed in 1972. This fantastical chair is fun loving, imaginative, and whimsical … everything I love. This surreal, nature-inspired sculpture-chair blurs the boundary between art and design, brings the natural world indoors, and inspires the imagination. I'm inspired by a quote in the Sotheby's catalog where a Hosta chair came up for auction in 2022: "Lalanne's husband and co-creator, François-Xavier Lalanne, once commented, 'Claude works the way birds sing, without really thinking about it,' an intuitive working style which is clearly represented in the delightfully naturalistic composition and charming irregularities of the present piece …" 42