Vitra Showroom Sale and Pre-Sale 2014 Dates have been announced for the popular annual Vitra SALE (Saturday 15 February 2014), and for the first year ever, the sale includes a new Commercial Office Interior PRE-SALE (Monday-Friday 3-7 February). One-Day Sale (the big event!) – Saturday 15 Feb 2014, doors open at 9:30am Commercial Office Interior PRE-SALE – Monday-Friday 3-7 February, 9am-5pm From the press release: Star Buys at the Vitra SALE This year’s SALE will include more than 500 beautiful products with at least 40% discount (some by as much as 70%) with an additional 6 star buys. These include the striking Amoebe Highback Chair in golden yellow Tonus designed by Verner Panton in ca. 1970 for a staggering£99 (usually £1283), and the classic luxurious Coconut Chair designed in 1955 by George Nelson upholstered in a brown leather finish for £99 (usually £1299). In addition, a set of four black Tip Ton chairs designed by Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby in 2011 are available for an amazing set price of £99 (usually £173 each), plus a set of four beautiful Standard Chairs designed by Jean Prouve in 1930 in a Red & Dark Oak finish for a set price of £299 (usually £440 each) and an Noguchi Coffee Table designed in 1944 with a maple base for a staggering £99 (was £1150).
Finally for just £1, the award winning ID Trim task chair designed by Antonio Citterio in 2010 is available at a saving of £500. The new PRE-SALE running from 3 – 7 February will be focusing on the renowned office interiors portfolio of Vitra products at hugely discounted prices. These include both large and smaller scale items across a wide variety of storage and seating options, which include the classic Soft Pad Group chairs designed by Charles & Ray Eames and various products from the amazing Alcove range designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec. In addition there is the opportunity to purchase a complete Senior Executive Office Suite at a hugely discounted price. Be prepared to arrive early to avoid disappointment. Vitra SALE with Star Buys – Saturday 15 February doors open 9:30am Commercial Office Interiors PRE-SALE – Monday 3 – Friday 7 February 9am–5pm Tel: 020 7608 6200 • All goods are sold as seen • Only one star buy per person • No reservations can be made
• All prices exclude VAT and delivery • Sale goods must be taken away on the day or storage and delivery costs will be charged The Eames Molded Plastic & Fiberglass Armchair is a fiberglass chair, designed by Charles and Ray Eames, that appeared on the market in 1950.[1] The chair was intentionally designed for the ‘International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design.’ This competition, sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art, was motivated by the urgent need in the post-war period for low-cost housing and furnishing designs adaptable to small housing units. The chair was offered in a variety of colors and bases, such as the “Eiffel Tower” metal base, a wooden base, and a rocker base. The plastic fiberglass armchair is one of the most famous designs of Charles and Ray Eames, and is still popular today. “Getting the most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least”: with these words, Charles and Ray Eames described one of their main goals as furniture designers.
[3] Of all their designs, the Plastic Chairs come closest to achieving this ideal. They found that the use of plastic in furniture design has several advantages: it has pleasant tactile qualities, it has malleability and static strength combined with a high-degree of flexibility, and it makes feasible, via mass-production, their goal of low-cost furniture. The early production of the chair The material of the chair, Zenaloy, which is polyester reinforced with fiberglass, was first developed by the US Army during World War II.[4] Using this material, Ray and Charles Eames designed a prototype chair for the 1948 ‘International Competition of Low-Cost Furniture Design’ held by the Museum of Modern Art. The chairs were made using the latest machines, such as hydraulic press molds from shipbuilding, by manufacturer Zenith Plastics.[4] Mass-producing the molded fiberglass chairs involved a tremendous amount of design and tooling effort, a long period of product development, and considerable investment.
The basic technology involved shaping the fiberglass material with metal molds using a hydraulic press. The armchair was the first one-piece plastic chair whose surface was left uncovered and not upholstered.[1] In 1950, Zenith began mass-producing the fiberglass shell armchairs for Herman Miller, who offered them for sale that year. The fiberglass armchair was included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in 1950. The Vitra company entered the furniture market in 1957 with the licensed production of furniture from the Herman Miller Collection for the European market. In 1984, the partnership that had been formed with Herman Miller was terminated by mutual consent. Subsequently, Vitra obtained the European and Middle Eastern rights to designs by Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson. At first, the chair was available in three colors: greige, elephant-hide gray, and parchment. The palette of colors was later expanded. After that, a choice of several possible bases was offered.
The early “H” metal base (the SAX standard model and the LAX lounge lower model), “X” metal base (the DAX dining model), a lower model with metal rod base (the LAR model), a wooden base (the DSW model), a steel-wire base (the DSR model, also known as the “Eiffel-Tower base”), a cast aluminium base with castors (the PACC model), and a wood-rocker base (the RAR model). All of the bases were attached to the seat using hard rubber disks to allow flexibility. Despite the fact that Herman Miller ceased production of the rocker in 1968 (until they reintroduced it 30 years later), pregnant employees continued to receive these chairs as a company gift until 1984, solidifying the rocker as a token of high-end nursery decor.[7] The plastic shell became available in an upholstered (fabric or vinyl) version a year after the introduction of the chair. After the success of the arm chair, the side chair (without arms) was introduced (in the DSW, DSX, and DSR models). Over the years, the plastic chair has undergone some modifications: the curve of the back has become more inclined and upholstery is now glued to the plastic shell.
The Eames plastic armchair immediately became an iconic design and eventually the chair was used in schools, airports, restaurants, and offices around the world. From 1954, the chairs were used as stadium seating with metal rods put together in rows, the Tandem Shell Seating. The chairs are still in production by Herman Miller, Vitra and Modernica. However, each producer uses different material for their chair. In 1993, Vitra discontinued production of the fiberglass shells for ecological reasons. The company resumed manufacture of the shells in 1989 and 2004, respectively, making them available in polypropylene, a more environmentally friendly material.[8] Also, Herman Miller uses the polypropylene material for their production of the chairs.[9] The production process for the new fiberglass chairs by both manufacturers is now emission-free and uses a new, monomer-free resin which creates a safer environment for workers and a more environmentally friendly, recyclable shell. The chairs are still available and, after more than sixty-years, still commonly used by popular interior designers and featured in many magazines.