Legendary star-chitect Frank Gehry has designed lots of other things besides world-famous buildings (The Guggenheim Museum in Spain, The Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, The Dancing House in Prague, and The Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle).
He has designed stage sets for dance concerts and operas, household items, and six different jewelry collections for Tiffany & Co. But it's his furniture designs that we are naturally interested in for today's installation of Know Your Chairs. And his Wiggle chair, made from corrugated cardboard has stood the test of time.
Architectural Digest reports the origins of this iconic piece of furniture:
When a group of artists and scientists from NASA called a meeting at artist Robert Irwin’s studio in 1969, they asked architect Frank Gehry to give the place a quick makeover. Given the shoestring budget, Gehry came up with something simple yet subtly futuristic: seating made from stacks of cardboard, a humble material he kept around for making models.
“I discovered that by alternating the direction of layers of corrugations, the finished board had enough strength to support a small car, and a uniform, velvety texture on all four sides,” he told The Christian Science Monitor in 1972. “I found I could cut these edgeboard sections into geometrical forms, or bend them into sculptural, ribbon-candy folds.”
Gehry was worried the popularity of his furniture might overshadow his architecture so in 1973, he stopped production. Thankfully, he ceded the rights to Vitra where the chair is now made. Its modern, sculptural shape sets off traditional interiors or blends with modern, minimalist interiors.
The Wiggle chair and ottoman may be bought from Vitra, here.
Happy designing!
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