JoinLog InSign Up The Iconic Chair That Changed The Way We Think About SeatingBy / Published by – April 8, 2015A radical formulation, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld’s Zig Zag chair pushed the boundaries of furniture design when it debuted in 1934. Rietveld spent years working to create a chair that mimicked the way humans sit, and the Zig Zag isn’t just comfortable and stable, it’s also stackable. Without traditional legs, the chair is made with four rectangular pieces of wood that are held together in a Z shape with dovetail joints. It is now produced by Cassina.A member of the Dutch De Stijl ("The Style") movement, Rietveld’s furniture designs reduced items to their most essential forms. That’s how a chair lost its legs and ended up in a Z formation. Originally, Rietveld hoped to make a chair that could be cut from a singular piece of material or "pop out of a machine, just like that." He envisioned a bent steel plate, but joining together four pieces of plywood proved most effective and still amounted in the striking diagonal design.
Here, Rietveld plays around with a model of experimental housing designs. Look closely and you can see tiny versions of his Zig Zag chair at the dining room table. He was the first to apply the concepts of De Stijl to architecture, designing the Rietveld Schröder House in 1924.Though it cuts a clean line, the construction (and addition of dovetail joints) belies its minimalist form. Rietveld’s vision wasn’t fully realized until Verner Panton designed his famous 1960 chair, but the Zig Zag marks an important moment in the collective process of reimagining the chair. An early paper prototype of the Zig Zag chair. Miniscule models were made of paper and cardboard, and measured only five centimeters high.Rietveld continued to play with the Zig Zag design, as pictured in this 1952 sketch that includes an armchair version.In this grand Parisian apartment, the Zig Zag (far right) makes for a one-of-a-kind book storage solution.Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld shot Zig Zag chairs for a photo series on iconic designs.
“To visually reinterpret examples of perfect design is completely new for me, and therefore stimulating, exciting even,” he said. Lagerfeld’s first big furniture purchase was the LC4, which he bought back in the 60s.One of Lagerfeld’s large-scale photos highlights the color choices made by the De Stijl movement. The group favored primary colors, black, white, and natural woods.@alexronanAlex Ronan is a writer in New York. She's covered design for Lonny, Domaine, and Luxe. She's contributed to New York magazine, blogged for Lena Dunham's #NotThatKindOfTour, and writes regularly for the Cut.Download our iOS AppAdvertise on Dwell '100 x Rietveld' scalemodels (1:3)Asymmetric furnitureFrame chairsFurniture to Make YourselfCrate furnitureSlat furnitureMilitary furnitureFolded furnitureZigzag furniture TU Delft Library > Visitor info > Events > Exhibitions > The Genius of Gerrit Rietveld > '100 x Rietveld' scalemodels (1:3) > Rietveld saw the zigzag chair as a variation on the chair made out of one piece.
His first sketch designs show a chair that is bent out of one sheet. This starting point was eventually the closest to the zigzag chairs made by Metz & Co. out of bent multiplex, designed in 1938. However it was not straightforward to fold a chair out of one piece that would be strong enough. An earlier model of the zigzag chair was therefore made by bending a sheet of fibre over a frame of steel strips. With a following variation Rietveld placed loose pieces of multiplex between two steel strips. Eventually it appeared more efficient to make the chair out of four different pieces of wood. The fixing method remained a moot point; above all it was difficult to make the sharp corners sufficiently strong. Initially Rietveld tried to do it only with swallow tail fixings; later he used nuts and bolts. Furthermore it was necessary to place an extra wooden wedge in the internal corner as strengthening. Rietveld used this construction method as a starting point to design more variations on the zigzag chair.
View the photos on Flickr.Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. FREE Shipping on orders with at least $25 of books. FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Shared Knowledge Literacy Foundation Author interviews, book reviews, editors picks, and more. Ah-Ha to Zig-Zag: 31 Objects from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum FREE Shipping on orders over . DetailsThe Lion and the Bird FREE Shipping on orders over . "Children of all ages can enjoy Cooper Hewitt’s latest literary offering: Ah-Ha to Zig-Zag, a delightful illustrated guide to the museum’s permanent collection conceived by artist and author Maira Kalman. The book’s release is set to coincide with the institution’s much-anticipated December reopening. Traveling A to Z through centuries of great design, Kalman’s picture book is as educational as it is whimsical.” –Architectural Digest“Best Book of the year selection: Maira Kalman's whimsical, sublimely silly alphabet book celebrates the newly renovated Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum by featuring 31 of her favorite objects from the collection.” –National Public Radio"Ah-Ha to Zig-Zag: 31 Objects from Cooper Hewitt
, Smithsonian Design Museum, a children’s alphabet book with original gouaches of objects in Cooper Hewitt’s design collection. These books will likely become their owners’ own personal treasures, just like the “stuff” pictured inside was once for someone long ago." -Quartz“Must-Have Coffee Table Book. Ahead of the re-opening of New York's Cooper Hewitt museum this winter, illustrator Maira Kalman will release a whimsical alphabet book of her favorite objects from the institution's vast collection.” –Harpers Bazaar"...an alphabet of curiosities annotated with show-and-tell wisdom." –Design Observer“Ah-Ha to Zig-Zag: Maira Kalman’s Sweet Design-History Alphabet Book…I find the letters of the alphabet and the words they make insufficient to express the boundless wonderfulness of Kalman’s Ah-Ha to Zig-Zag…this ABC gem —doubles as a design-history primer full…of a playful celebration of uncertainty and imperfection… Maira Kalman is the best-selling author of thirteen children’s books and eight adult books.
Among her adult classics are The Elements of Style, an illustrated edition of Strunk and White’s timeless grammar guide, and two picture books of essays based on yearlong online columns for the New York Times, And the Pursuit of Happiness, and The Principles of Uncertainty. She is the "M" in M&Co, the revolutionary design firm founded by her late husband, Tibor Kalman, with whom she was a constant collaborator. with these editor's picks from Kindle. Age Range: 3 and up Grade Level: Kindergarten - 12 Publisher: Skira Rizzoli (October 21, 2014) 8.8 x 0.5 x 11.2 inches Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) #453,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Art > History in Books > Children's Books > Early Learning > Basic Concepts > Alphabet 5 star85%4 star10%2 star5%See all verified purchase reviewsTop Customer ReviewsBest Gift for Children and Adults!Gorgeous gift book (if you can bring yourself to give it away)You cannot go wrong|