Now I Sit Me Down

Now I Sit Me Down

Author: Witold Rybczynski

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Published: 2016-08-23

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0374713359

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Have you ever wondered where rocking chairs came from, or why cheap plastic chairs are suddenly everywhere? In Now I Sit Me Down, the distinguished architect and writer Witold Rybczynski chronicles the history of the chair from the folding stools of pharaonic Egypt to the ubiquitous stackable monobloc chairs of today. He tells the stories of the inventor of the bentwood chair, Michael Thonet, and of the creators of the first molded-plywood chair, Charles and Ray Eames. He reveals the history of chairs to be a social history--of different ways of sitting, of changing manners and attitudes, and of varying tastes. The history of chairs is the history of who we are. We learn how the ancient Chinese switched from sitting on the floor to sitting in a chair, and how the iconic chair of Middle America--the Barcalounger--traces its roots back to the Bauhaus. Rybczynski weaves a rich tapestry that draws on art and design history, personal experience, and historical accounts. And he pairs these stories with his own delightful hand-drawn illustrations: colonial rockers and English cabrioles, languorous chaise longues, and no-nonsense ergonomic task chairs--they're all here. The famous Danish furniture designer Hans Wegner once remarked, "A chair is only finished when someone sits in it." As Rybczynski tells it, the way we choose to sit and what we choose to sit on speak volumes about our values, our tastes, and the things we hold dear.


Chair

Chair

Author: Phaidon Editors

Publisher: Phaidon Press

Published: 2018-04-06

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780714876108

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The most compelling collection ever of the world's most innovative, stylish, and influential chairs Throughout history, the chair has presented designers the world over with infinite opportunities to experiment with new methods and materials within the set parameters of an object that is primarily there to serve a practical purpose. Chair: 500 Designs that Matter celebrates the humble chair as never before, from early examples to today's cutting-edge creations. It invites you to sit back and be taken on a journey through the creative imaginations of hundreds of internationally renowned designers.


Chairs

Chairs

Author: Charlotte Fiell

Publisher: Welbeck

Published: 2023-04-11

Total Pages: 784

ISBN-13: 1802794565

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This updated edition features designs from 1800 up to present day, and features the biggest names in furniture design, art, architecture and craft.


Atlas of Furniture Design

Atlas of Furniture Design

Author: Mateo Kries

Publisher:

Published: 2019-10-17

Total Pages: 1028

ISBN-13: 9783931936990

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In 2019, the Vitra Design Museum will publish the Atlas of Furniture Design, the definitive, encyclopedic overview of the history of modern furniture design. Featuring over 1700 objects by more than 500 designers and 121 manufacturers, it includes approximately 2800 images ranging from detailed object photographs to historical images documenting interiors, patents, brochures, and related works of art and architecture. The basis for the Atlas of Furniture Design is the collection held by the Vitra Design Museum, one of the largest of its kind with more than 7000 works. The book presents selected pieces by the most important designers of the last 230 years and documents key periods in design history, including early nineteenth-century industrial furniture in bentwood and metal, Art Nouveau and Secessionist pieces and works by protagonists of classical modernism and postwar design, as well as postmodern and contemporary pieces. The Atlas of Furniture Design employed a team of more than 70 experts and features over 550 detailed texts about key objects. In-depth essays provide sociocultural and design-historical context to four historical epochs of furniture design and the pieces highlighted here, enriched by a detailed annex containing designer biographies, glossaries, and elaborate information graphics. The Atlas of Furniture Design is an indispensable resource for collectors, scholars and experts, as well as a beautifully designed object that speaks to design enthusiasts.


Design of the 20th Century

Design of the 20th Century

Author: Charlotte Fiell

Publisher: Taschen America Llc

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 768

ISBN-13: 9783836541060

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This text is a journey through the shapes and colours, forms and functions of design history in the 20th century. It contains an A-Z of designers and design schools, which builds into a complete picture of contemporary living.