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The absolutes: 20 of the best sunbeds
Foldable canvas deck chair, 1850
Originally conceived to be used on the deck of cruise ships, the deck chair found its fortune also on the ground, becoming the epitome of beach furniture and also adapting itself to city balconies, where it has been able to awaken feelings connected to the idleness and freedom of holidays. After all, it is the structure itself to determine its (non) scope. With a structure that makes it impossible to sit with your back straight, the deck chair does hardly conjugate with work life and, on the contrary, it is perfect for resting or reading. Two activities that, in fact, tend to last longer than expected considered the impossibility to promptly stand up once hugged by its canvas.
Tripolina, Joseph Beverly Fenby, 1855
Designed in 1855 and patented in England in 1877, the Beverly Fendy model reached a level of popularity that transcended borders and resulted in several replicas and imitations, a fact that explains the reason for its multiple names: safari chair, official chair – in the United States, in fact, it was first put on the market in 1895 advertised as a chair with military purposes – and campaign chair. Tripolina, the name by which the chair is known in Italy, comes from its use during the colonial campaign in Libia. After the war, this chair with a wooden structure, metal screws and a removable canvas seat rose in popularity, finding in Cesare Viganò and Gavina two of its most notorious producers.
Adirondack Chair, Thomas Lee, 1903
Archetype of the American garden chair and among the first rustic lounge chairs, the Adirondack Chair can also be considered the epitome of intellectual property theft in the field of design. Projected by Thomas Lee, who tested it during a family holiday and finalised it in an eleven-pieces version, it was later patented under the Westport Chairs brand by Harry Bunnell, a friend of his to whom Lee had showed the chair. The chair witnessed great fame and was adopted, during the '900s, in a multitude of versions that thanks to concave seatbacks and shaped seats improved its comfort.
Indian Chair, Wilhelm Kienzle, Maple & Co., 1928
Inspired by a same-named English model and developed within the pervasive historical context of the colonial campaigns, the Indian Chair by Swiss designer Wilhelm Kienzle made practicality its distinctive trait. Lightweight, foldable and easily carriable, its simple traits are enhanced by the use of wood and leather. However, its originality lies in some clever details, like the metal screw that ensures the tense position of the leather armrest. Its clean lines and the great functionalism of this model would end up influencing Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand as much as Eileen Gray in the production of their seats in the early '30s.
Butterfly, Antonio Bonet, Juan Kurhan and Jorge Ferrari Hardoy, 1938
An enduring classic of design that is still produced these days in a plethora of versions, the Butterfly chair is another symbol of informal outdoors furniture. Characterised by a varnished and soldered metal structure and by a leather or cotton canvas removable seat – reminiscent of the Tripolina – the chair has a silhouette that supports numerous body positions thanks to its diagonal axis. Originally conceived by Antonio Bonet, Juan Kurchan, and Jorge Ferrari Hardoy – three Le Corbusier students known as Grupo Austral – for the interiors of the Charcas building in Buenos Aires, the chair was included in the Knoll catalogue starting from 1947 and then distributed in the United States with a great commercial response. The Butterfly is another example of a commercial intuition lacking in respect towards the creators of the chair. Like witnessed by a letter written by Hardoy to Edgar Kaufmann Jr, the first person to bring two models of the chair in the United States, leaving one at the MOMA and on in his parent's house, the Fallingwater designed by Frank Lloyd Wright: "We have received, in two years, the miserable sum of $11.37".
Chaise longue, Joaquim Tenreiro, 1947
One of the most notorious pieces of the Brazilian tropical modernism, this chaise longue with an adjustable set up enhances the beauty of local woods. The geometrical combination of a half-moon shape with the seat's zigzag trait results, also thanks to the use of Vienna straw, in synthesis of great elegance.
The absolutes: 20 of the best outdoors seats
View articleAcapulco Chair, '50s
An icon of the '50s, now once again on trend, the Acapulco chair is characterised by hardly documented origins that nod to Mexican hammocks. They are here reproposed through a vinyl rope texture tied to an oval metal structure that is instrumental in aiding the breeze against the body during the warm seasons.
Garden Egg, Peter Ghyczy, Elastogran, 1968
Here's a camouflage chair that opens up when used, closes itself like a rock, to then open up again under the action of the weather. The glass reinforced polyester body hides soft cushions that increase the comfort of the particularly low seat, a symbol of the informal style of the times on both sides of the iron curtain.
Qasar (Nguyen Manh Khan), inflatable armchair, Qasar France, 1969
Pioneer of inflatable furniture, this engineer with previous experience in the automotive industry experimented the use of PVC for a series of furniture to be used both indoor and outdoor. Sold under his nom-de-plume and become popular in the early '70s, these items of design progressively went out of fashion by the beginning of the '80s, as a consequence of both the affirmation of more comfortable standards in furniture and the exponential increase of its raw materials because of the oil crisis.
Panto Pop, Verne Panton, Verpan, 1969
A round-shaped chair that can be piled up and that retains the usual taste for sinuous geometries characterising other Panton creations, the Panto Pop was initially introduced during the famous Visiona 2, the boat exhibition promoted by Bayer during the Koln furniture fair that worked as a privileged environment for Panton's pop experiments.
Jasper Morrison, Thinking Man’s, Cappellini, 1988
A chair for contemplation, like the name itself points out, Morrison's Thinking Man's combines metal tubes and steel flat bars to find its peculiar style in the details: like the hand-drawn curved silhouette that joins the legs with the armrests that culminate in a round-shaped planchet.
Voido, Ron Arad, Magis, 2005
An outdoors modern and colourful take on the rocking chair, the Voido is made in polyethylene and stands out for the purity of the monobloc shape, which is made even more intriguing by the equilibrium of solid and hollow surfaces.
Grand Pouff, Fatboy, 2000
The icon of the informal pouff of the 2000s, this big upholstered rectangle is versatile with all of our body positions and is also resistant to the challenges presented by outdoor weather.
Tropicalia chaise longue, Patricia Urquiola, Moroso, 2008
Taking upon the codes of the metal and PVC loungers and chaise longues, Urquiola enhances the pattern’s weaving by experimenting with the chromatic juxtapositions, so to celebrate the lysergic and tropical nature of the chair.
Alex, Alessandro Mendini, Ecopixel, 2010
A continuation of the research on pointillism that made the notorious Proust armchair a hit, Mendini revisits the rules of the game by proposing an answer to one of the most pressing issues for the planet's ecosystem: plastic pollution. Produced in collaboration with Ecoplex, the lounge chair is made of low-density polyethylene, of which 55% is recycled. The chair is fully recyclable thanks to the low temperature necessary for its melting. Following the precedent set by the Proust, the pixels used for the chair's pattern are also surprisingly big as they measure 24x24cm.
Transwood, Campana Brothers, Estudio Campana, 2011
Symbol of a lively design that finds in assembling elements and in insubordination a creative getaway to the restrictions and the dogmas of the discipline, Transwood nods to the tradition of the garden seats in midollino offering a revolutionary collective take on them. Similarly to the Transwood series, the Transplastic line also proposes a game of reappropriation by playing upon the iconic monobloc white plastic chair.
Curt, Bernhard Burkard, 2011
Emblem of a two-dimension informal approach to furniture design and cleverly conceived like a minimalist, adjustable and carriable piece, the Curt necessitates of the aid of a wall to be used. The legs' antiskid grip, in fact, contributes to avoid to unexpectedly and suddenly finding yourself on the floor.
O., Marcel Wanders, Moooi, 2017
A revisitation of the circular rocking chair, O. allows to experiment multiple positions, enhancing the playful spirit of the interaction between the user and the furniture. Comfort also plays its part: O.'s internal ring comes with a soft cushioned layer so to make long seats pleasing.
Tebunginako, Thomas Coward and Nicole Lawrence, 2021
A double metaphor for the imminent risk due to clinmatic change. The deckchair is named after a Pacific island submerged by advancing waters, while the sun-warmed metal of the structure proves too hot to accommodate those who intend to sit down. A warning about the harmful consequences of our flashy and unconscious consumerism.