The Garden Egg chair was designed by Peter Ghyczy in 1968. It was manufactured by Reuter Products. The chair was designed for both indoor and outdoor use, although as a design icon and collectable it is rarely used outdoors. The chair lid lifts and closes, and when closed is theoretically waterproof. The Egg chair was re-introduced in 2001 by Ghyczy Novo. The Garden Egg Chair is known by several names; “seftenberger ei, pod chair, l’œuf en garden(egg)chair.” Elastogran/Reuter produced the plastic polyurethane. Ghyczy's job was to start a design centre in order to show industrial customers polyurethane's potential. The Garden Egg Chair is one of the first chairs made with polyurethane. For a long time, the chair was produced by the East German company VEB-Synthese-Werk, but since 1998, it has been produced in the Netherlands. Peter Ghyczy (born 1940 in Budapest) left his native Hungary in 1956 because of the revolution and moved to West Germany. Here he finished his high school and studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and University of Aachen.
After graduating he started as head of the design department at Elastogran/Reuter where he developed the Garden Egg Chair in 1968. What he saw as traditional way of working at Elastogran/Reuter led him to leave the company in 1972. He moved to the Netherlands and started his own company, simply called Ghyczy. Peter Ghyczy, Designer Garden Egg Chair The garden egg chair is a unique piece of design furniture originating from the late 60s. Being redesigned for the 21st century, this portable and light weight garden chair completely revived as a one of a kind among garden furniture. The unique egg-shaped design of the garden egg chair makes it completely waterproof when flipping down the top. The garden egg chair is perfect for outdoor use all year around, and will take no harm from a life frequented by rain or snow at times. However, the versatility of the garden egg chair makes it also a real eye catcher for any indoor area as well. Peter & Felix Ghyczy The body of the garden egg chair consists of a hard, resistant shell as where the inside represents the garden egg chair’s softer side, with a detachable textile cover on the comfortable cushion.
Both the outer shell and the interior are available in a series of colours, allowing for enough mixing and matching to ensure a garden egg chair which best reflects one’s personality. In order to find a unique piece of design furniture for yourself, customize your own garden egg chair right here. The garden egg chair is a classic among designer furniture made by the hands of Peter Ghyczy in 1968, as head of the design department at Elastogran / Reuter. Peter Ghyczy was experimenting with newly developed synthetic materials and one of the results which drew the most attention was the unique and complex design of the garden egg chair. From Suitcase to Egg Chair The original idea was to design a portable piece of design furniture which could be put up and closed without having to take the seating pads out. The first design of the garden egg chair was not egg-shaped at all, but looked more like a suitcase. Only little by little Peter Ghyczy realized that the design was going to be an egg and so the garden egg chair was born.
40 Years Garden Egg Chair In 2008, the garden egg chair reached the land-mark age of 40. This unique design chair has not stood still in its development during these years, as more suitable materials being substituted for previous ones as technology progressed. In the beginning, the garden egg chair was manufactured by the East-German firm VEB-Synthese-Werk in Swarzheide, but in 1998 the garden egg chair found its way home again and the egg chair’s base of production is now Ghyczy Selection BV in the Netherlands. Peter Ghyczy, born in 1940, left his native Hungary in 1956 due to the Hungarian revolution for West-Germany. After completing his secondary education in 1961, he began pursuing his interests by studying sculpture at the Düsseldorf Art Academy followed by studying architecture at Aachen University. From 1968 until 1972 he was head of the design department at Elastogran / Reuter. It was there that he designed a unique design chair, the garden egg chair, in 1968.
In 1972, Peter Ghyczy traded again in his country of residence, this time moving to the Netherlands, where he founded the firm Ghyczy Selection BV, and the production of the garden egg chair has been based there since 1998. Perhaps the essence of Peter Ghyczy’s work, and what signifies him as a designer most, are the smooth blends that he manages to create out of seemingly contradictive concepts. The elements of classical Modernism that can be found in his designs demonstrate this clearly, as well as the Art Deco which manages to live alongside a quick, subtly playful style. The garden egg chair is an excellent example of this. De Garden Egg Chair is een door Peter Ghyczy in 1968 ontworpen stoel. De stoel kan tevens gezien worden als een kunstobject. De stoel is bedoeld voor buitengebruik. De buitenkant bestaat uit een resistente harde schelp, de binnenkant bestaat uit een kussen met een afneembare hoes. Zowel de buitenkant als het kussen aan de binnenkant wordt geproduceerd in verschillende kleuren.
De Garden Egg Chair kent meerdere namen, zoals “seftenberger ei”, “pod chair”, “l’œuf” en “garden(egg)chair”. De stoel is ontworpen door Peter Ghyczy, die op dat moment aan het hoofd stond van designafdeling van Elastogran/Reuter. De eerste productie was in 1968. Elastogran/Reuter produceerde het plastic Polyurethaan en verkocht dit wereldwijd. Peter Ghyczy was aangewezen om een design center op te zetten, om industriële klanten te laten zien wat de mogelijkheden waren van Polyurethaan. De Garden Egg Chair is één van de eerste stoelen die ontworpen en geproduceerd werd met Polyurethaan. Lange tijd is de stoel geproduceerd bij het Oost-Duitse bedrijf VEB-Synthese-Werk, maar sinds 1998 wordt de Garden Egg Chair geproduceerd in Nederland. Peter Ghyczy (1940) verliet zijn geboorteland Hongarije in 1956, vanwege de revolutie, voor West-Duitsland. Hier heeft hij zijn middelbare school afgerond waarna hij een studie beeldhouwen aan de Düsseldorf Art Academy en architectuur aan de Universiteit van Aachen heeft gevolgd.