Says Peter: "Own a piece of design history for $25! Designed in 1965 and perfected for mass production by Kartell in 1967, Joe Colombo "Universale" chair is widely considered to be the first chair to be molded from a single material (ABS plastic in this case). The chair was also notable for its easy stacking; hole in the backrest for carrying; and removable legs, which were available in lounge, side, and stool heights." its condition is not perfect, hence the low price.
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Comments (7)
Re: "universale" chair- i thought the Eames "La Chaise" was one of the first single piece molded chair . 1948 ? out of fiberglass ?
Hi Al,
The La Chaise is made of three materials -- fiberglass shell, steel legs, and wood base. And although it was designed in 1948, it didn't actually go into production until the 90s.
Hi Peter,
I thought the "la Chaise" was produced by Herman Miller than re-issued by Vitra. And i thought single piece referred to the seat, as in the "Shell Chair" . And if the legs are removable how could the chair be molded from a single piece?
I think the first single-piece molded chair was the 'Selene', from Artemide. DWR sells a reproduction:
http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=2583
It was used extensively on the sets of the first season of Space: 1999, itself virtually a moving catalog of modern (mainly Italian) furniture design:
http://www.space1999.net/~sorellarium13/selene.htm
I didn't think that La Chaise had ever been produced before the Vitra edition, but I could be wrong about that.
In any case, Colombo was interested in making a chair from a single *material*, not in a single piece. Indeed, the Universale is 9 pieces -- the seat, four legs, and four leg end inserts.
I believe the first chair to be both of one material and one piece was Panton's cantilevered chair, which went into production in 1968.
Best,
Peter
Holy serious discussion! Is anyone buying the chair?
i'm going to go take a look at it tonight or tomorrow, actually, if he doesn't sell it to someone else before i can get over there.