Land+Living: Chair Couture

Furniture — January 27, 2006 Posted by Anthony

Rachel brings us the funk

Over in the comment section of our Dwell post, L+L reader Rachel challenged Dwell to "bring on the funk." We got in touch with her and sure enough, the funk be brought. Here's Rachel's take on Chair Couture:

While it's great to have a cool, crisp, carefully delineated living space, full of machined surfaces, clad in the colors of nature, sometimes even the most ardent minimalist craves a shock. Margaret Elman's Chair Couture takes vintage chair frames (more Louie, Louie than Louis XVI) and dolls them up with paint, gilding, and gaudy fabrics.
The result--seating that calls for cocktails One blast of an aqua bergère will turn even the most Zen space into a lava lounge.
If Elman's creations are too much for those with major taste but minimal funds, a brisk tour of 2nd-hand shops might turn up a chair that just needs a jolt of color. Try an auto painting shop, (Candy Apple Red), and grab a staple gun. And then--relax and mix a Tequila Sunrise to match your settee. If you spill--trust me, no will notice.

I think Rachel's going to fit in rather nicely around here.

Link: Chair Couture [Thanks, Rachel!]

7 comments

Comments (7)

Adriean — January 27, 2006
Wow.

Fantastic! I just checked out the website to see what else they have in their line and was very impressed.

EAvezdropper — January 28, 2006
Edgey and Irreverent

About time somebody ripped the corsets out of these period furnitures. The sharpness of contrasts between form, fabric and color brings this era to the present. In a time when sculpted plastic can be used as a bodice, this would be the perfect seating for an afternoon of tea...quila sunrise.

Anonymous — January 28, 2006

wow. This is great new stuff! A much needed change for my tired eyes. There is too much "clean-lined modernist, contemporary furniture out there. "sometimes even the most ardent minimalist craves a shock" Agreed, I enjoyed the shock. Rachel is talented designer who speaks well about her work. Great post.

RCL — January 29, 2006

Anon--I'm not the designer, I'm just a writer/search and acquire girl. But thanks for the kind words.

frauleindesign — February 10, 2006
couturious

This is quite a timely post because I got a few images from the press office a British-based fabric/wallpaper designer who has done some pretty sweet chairs. www.couturious.co.uk they are similar to these (i.e. "interior couture" fabrics on antique chairs with feathers and cool things (not on every one!). and i saw a really neat concept by a designer in netherlands who uses recylced mattresses and antique chairs to make stools, you get the antique look with a springy comfortable seat. www.frankwillems.net that's really bringing on the "funk"

Renata mendonca — December 19, 2006

I just loved your style and would like to see more designs.Could you send me your web-site? My e-mail is : emailrenata@aol.com

Anonymous — December 19, 2006
Read !

Website is posted in article.