Harry Bertoia

Harry Bertoia is a post war designer that he discovered his theme of producing furniture while he use to teach metal work. Whether he used chrome, painted or coated in coloured vinyl, the metal wire style served as the best known and the finest products. He was one of the modern designers of forms and made a lot of products of organic designs. For his new designs that involve the the seperation of the back and the seat and giving them a skeleton wire frame of tubular steel it was something breathtaking. This was his own personal style of wire mesh.

One of his products is the Diamond Armchair it is called this way for the its shape as a diamond. Where he experimented with bending metal rods into particular shape. This chair although it is covered only with metal it looked comfortable and handsome, Although the seat and back, the whole piece is made by thin wire it is still strong enough to hold a person but for the legs he used a thicker tubular metal and fold them for balancing the user seating on it.

Diamond Armchair

Bertoia saying a definition on his chairs, " If you look at these chairs, they are mainly made of air, like sculpture. Space passes right through them". Reference for quote, (Betroia Diamond Chair, (Year N/A) Hive Modern [Online] Available from: http://hivemodern.com/pages/product466/knoll-harry-bertoia-diamond-chair[Accessed 27th January 2014] )

He wanted to say for how few material and lightweight they are that one can be easily feel in air and not noticing seating on a metal chair.

Another similar chair is the Diamond Chair it is quite similar to the Diamond Armchair. They both have a cross over tubular steel, the legs have thicker steel and almost the same form for stability. The main difference is the shape of the seat it does not have that flowing feature s the Armchair, it is a normal yet curved to the comfort of the user and it is finished by a foam cushion on the seat. In my opinion that are quite fabulous and good looking but i would like to have a larger cushion under me cause i would get painful on them and also the metal tube does not insulate and they can be very cold in the winter to sit on. The only thing i would change or try is to cover up some of the tubular steel with tubular fabric even it gives more texture and pattern. They also have a variety of colours it depends on the user.

Bertoia has other chairs that are covered with fabric and used this skeleton pattern for its structure, they come in different styles and sizes.

Reference:

Betroia Diamond Chair, (Year N/A) Hive Modern [Online] Available from:

http://hivemodern.com/pages/product466/knoll-harry-bertoia-diamond-chair

[Accessed 27th January 2014]

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