functionalism as a theory of form

simplicity has become a popular and seemingly more necessary concept in modern design. choice of materials plays a big role in this concept, where a designer will take into account the availability of a material, the structural properties, how easily it is manipulated, the after life of the material and so on. the following 5 chair designs are some that i feel exemplify this concept of simplicity in furniture design. simplicity that takes into account both the aesthetic and functional qualities of a material. 

 

tal gur's "sturdy straws chair" 2002 • standard plastic drinking straws are packed together in a wooden form. a heated panel is applied to the side of the chair, melting the ends of the straws rigidly in place. typically, about 15,000 drinking straws are used in a single chair. this design transforms ready-made materials that are originally fragile and disposable into a solid, sturdy piece of furniture.

humberto and fernando campana's "corallo armchair" 1989-2002 • electrostatically spray painted steel wires are individually hand-and-tool-formed and welded together. the idea came from a study in interpreting originally pre-existing materials, and the form from sea coral. it is appropriately named "corallo", the portuguese word for coral.

anon pairot's "pare chaise longue" 2004 • pairot creates furniture and furnishings with materials native to his home country of thailand. the concept of the pare chaise is to reduce waste through a simple and effective design, inspired by traditional bamboo rafts that thai people call pare.

adam simha's "5-minute dining and lounge chair" • searching for a "free and unselfconscious mix of fact, function, wit, and whimsy", simha believes that "the design of a chair should address the reality of the experience of sitting: inherently one of changing needs and desires". the initial prototype took 5 minutes to construct, and became the name. constructed from a single sheet of mild or stainless steel, a strip of acetal or polycarbonate provides grip for the front leg.

verner panton's "panton chair" 1968• the panton has become one of the most iconic pieces of 20th century furniture. panton, a student of arne jacobsen, and a colleague of many of the era's most acclaimed designers, verner panton was deep-rooted in his pop influence, as was the famous panton chair, which featured a polypropylene structure consisting of sleek fluid curves. this method of using a single cohesive material throughout hte entire piece is still used in present designs and continues to be popular and effective way of producing innovative furniture that is at the same time conscious of effective material use.