Sunday, 19 January 2014

Essay Alvar Aalto & Marcel Breuer


Alvar Aalto for five years he conducted experiments into the bending of wood. This research led to Aalto’s revolutionary chair design. Having turned to laminated wood and plywood as his materials of choice in 1929. These experiments resulted in Aalto’s most original chairs, the No 41, Paimio and the No 31, Cantilevered Aalto believed that his most important contribution to furniture design was his solving of the old age problem of connecting vertical and horizontal elements.
 



                                                                            No 41, Paimio 


 





  No 31, Cantilevered




Aalto due to his new experiments of the bending of the wood, became a very successful; his technique it is still in need in our furniture design. This technique always was a huge help in the industry of wood. Today we use the bending of wood in many types of furniture and new methods such as skateboards, new modern furniture, boats and much more. The technique of how you do it is almost the same as Aalto use to make them but also today we have machines that could help us with the use in a faster and more efficient product. The bending of wood is not only used in large elements but also in kitchenware or decoration.


The Paimio and the Cantilevered are the best known for Alvar Aalto work and his new idea of the invention of the bending of wood.



In a similar manner with which Alvar Aalto worked with wood, Marcel Breuer experimented with steel. Marcel Breuer is well known for his work on steel tubes, it was a new technique of how one can work with steel. Where people had in mind that steel is something strong and there is limited rules working on it, Breuer showed them that it could be easily manipulated and still stay strong. He also had a huge importance in the Bauhaus. On his stay he made the first tubular metal chair B3 in (1925). His inspiration came from the handlebar of his bicycle. As from then, he started to make all kinds of furniture such as tables, chairs, stools and cupboards of that kind. He wanted to spread his idea of sitting on “ springy columns of air”. Two of his most famous chairs are the B3, the Wassily chair and the B32 Cesca

 


                                                                                                     B32, Cesca

 






B3, Wassily chair




Today we thank Marcel Breuer for this idea of the bending of steel where we can design and can make our lives easier by this technique. Today we use this method in cars, bicycles, cutlery and much more. Similar examples are still used in furniture today. He can be regarded as one of the most influential and important designers of the 20th century.

These two designers came from different eras; Alvar Aalto from the organic design, and Marcel Breuer is from the era of the Bauhaus. They both worked differently and came up with distinctive designs but they both worked on similar things; the bending of material one on wood and the other on steel. They both produced brilliant products.

Many designers try to manufacture or else try to be better than these two designers from the first decades of the 20th century, but still produce similar products, or else follow these two fathers of designs. Some examples of today modern products that been influenced by these two designers are:









J. Persing designs modern furniture and he uses the technique of Alvar Aalto used, the same material, the plywood and the same method. The only thing that it might change a bit is that this furniture that Persing designed are molded from a single piece of wood.

Referencing:

Modern Furniture from J.Persing. (July 31st 2008) Tréndir. (Online) Available from: http://www.trendir.com/green/modern-furniture-from-jpersing-1.html [Accessed: 3rd March 2014]


 

















Kino Guerin is another designer of the 21st century he also follows the rules of Aalto it is just his furniture it is a bit extreme of how he bends it. This is because he wants his furniture without using legs or some kind of support. His work is amazing but in another way it is a bit extreme.

Referencing:

Curved Furniture for the Contemporary Home. (Year July 30, 2013) The Modern Sybarite. [Online] Available from: http://richardrabel.com/the-modern-sybarite/curved-furniture-as-a-statement-for-the-contemporary-home/ [Accessed: 3rd March 2014]
 


When an artist combines artistry with function and clever design, well, then I’m sold!  The “Why Knot Bench” (above) takes the traditional form and then gives it a huge twist at one end – like a bow on your favorite gift.  This is a great furniture statement piece for an entry hall to let guests know that a mischievous spirit inhabits the dwelling!


This chair is called Steel-Armed Bend Chair is manufactured by West elm a company of furniture design. In this chair we see an almost photocopy of what Marcel Breuer did to the Wassily chair. The only thing different is instead of a tube structure it is flat and not in every corner is bended. The seat angle is almost the same as Breuer’s chair the only thing distinctive is that instead of canvas they used a more foam, comfortable materials.

Referencing:

Steel- Armed Bend chair. (Year N/A) west elm. [Online] Available from: http://www.westelm.com/products/steel-armed-bend-chair-shale-h200/?pkey=cliving-room-seating&cm_src=living-room-seating%7C%7CNoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_- [Accessed: 3rd March 2014]


Reference: 

Bernard Polster, Claudia Neumann, Markus Schuler  and Fredrick Leven, 2004. The AZ of Modern design

Charlotte and Peter Fiell. Design of the 20th Century

: Alvar Aalto Design Museum Collection, (Year N/A) Design Museum Alvar Aalto [Online] Available from: http://designmuseum.org/design/alvar-aalto [Accessed: 19th January] 

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