miniature big easy chair
Design Ron Arad, 1989
1/6 miniature scale model
Made in Poland by Vitra
For over two decades, the Vitra Design Museum has been making miniature replicas of milestones in furniture design. The Miniatures Collection encapsulates the entire history of industrial furniture design - moving from Historicism and Art Nouveau to the New Objectivity of Bauhaus and Radical Design, and from Postmodernism all the way up to the present day. Exactly one sixth of the size of the historical originals, the chairs are all true to scale and precisely recreate the smallest details of construction, material and color. The high standard of authenticity even extends to the natural grain of the wood, the reproduction of screws and the elaborate handicraft techniques involved. This has made the miniatures into popular collector's items as well as ideal illustrative material for universities, design schools and architects.
In 1988 and 1989, Arad's London One Off work shop created an entire series of Big Easy armchairs using bent sheet steel welded at the edges. The Big Easys were brought out as individual items or small limited series; they all had a striking basic form and inflated arms reminiscent of comics, but they differed in terms of the welding and color. In the course of time, the initially coarse, roughly welded Big Easys went through changes, first becoming colorful lacquered chairs with smooth surfaces and then elegant versions made of polished stainless steel.
Although Ron Arad's furniture are variants on everyday things, they seem strange and irritate the eye, not only owing to the choice of material. Formally and functionally speaking, they undermine customary assumptions. You feel you have to first learn how to use them. The voluminous steel body of the Big Easy resembles a traditional upholstered club armchair but can hardly be associated with a sense of comfortable interiors. Ron Arad considered it an art object that could likewise be functional, but was not intended to be particularly practical.
Each Vitra miniature is true to the original in construction and materials, and reduced in size on a scale of 1:6. Each miniature is packaged in a wooden box, accompanied by an informational booklet. Production notes: Each of the delicate objects are made by hand; on average, each miniature requires five hours of careful manual work. Ongoing quality control ensures that every miniature corresponds to its larger original in terms of finishing, details and materials.
6.75" h | 8.5" w | 5" d
1/6 miniature scale model
Made in Poland by Vitra
For over two decades, the Vitra Design Museum has been making miniature replicas of milestones in furniture design. The Miniatures Collection encapsulates the entire history of industrial furniture design - moving from Historicism and Art Nouveau to the New Objectivity of Bauhaus and Radical Design, and from Postmodernism all the way up to the present day. Exactly one sixth of the size of the historical originals, the chairs are all true to scale and precisely recreate the smallest details of construction, material and color. The high standard of authenticity even extends to the natural grain of the wood, the reproduction of screws and the elaborate handicraft techniques involved. This has made the miniatures into popular collector's items as well as ideal illustrative material for universities, design schools and architects.
In 1988 and 1989, Arad's London One Off work shop created an entire series of Big Easy armchairs using bent sheet steel welded at the edges. The Big Easys were brought out as individual items or small limited series; they all had a striking basic form and inflated arms reminiscent of comics, but they differed in terms of the welding and color. In the course of time, the initially coarse, roughly welded Big Easys went through changes, first becoming colorful lacquered chairs with smooth surfaces and then elegant versions made of polished stainless steel.
Although Ron Arad's furniture are variants on everyday things, they seem strange and irritate the eye, not only owing to the choice of material. Formally and functionally speaking, they undermine customary assumptions. You feel you have to first learn how to use them. The voluminous steel body of the Big Easy resembles a traditional upholstered club armchair but can hardly be associated with a sense of comfortable interiors. Ron Arad considered it an art object that could likewise be functional, but was not intended to be particularly practical.
Each Vitra miniature is true to the original in construction and materials, and reduced in size on a scale of 1:6. Each miniature is packaged in a wooden box, accompanied by an informational booklet. Production notes: Each of the delicate objects are made by hand; on average, each miniature requires five hours of careful manual work. Ongoing quality control ensures that every miniature corresponds to its larger original in terms of finishing, details and materials.
6.75" h | 8.5" w | 5" d
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Ron Arad
In 1981 Ron scoured a scrapyard and combined a car seat with structural tubing to create the postmodern Rover Chair, whose popularity significantly launched his career. Ron Arad’s unique design style would continue to use unorthodox combinations of materials and concepts.
Vitra is a Swiss company dedicated to improving the quality of life through the power of design. A central goal of Vitra is sustainable development. Trendy styling is avoided in favor of classic pieces that can be used for decades.