Each object is meant to be used for multiple purposes: aesthetics, utility, functionality, well-being… In this article we will focus on one product in particular: the chair.
Wearing chairs
We usually define the chair as an object on which we can sit. This is true. Indoor chairs are meant to accompany us in our daily lives, while offering us a base where we can lie. But is that really it?
For a while, let’s imagine to open our wardrobe. We will probably find clothes which are meant to be used at home, others meant for going out for a walk or for going to work, other ones dedicated to those tiny special moments.
Let’s now try to visualize different environments: a home, a office, an open-air restaurant, a hotel, a cruise ship and let’s focus on the chairs. Let’s try to figure out in our mind which chairs to wear in each space, the features they should have and their function.
You may discover that you first choose comfort and then elegance or that you want a bit of each or why not choosing a design chair or a vintage chair, upholstered chairs or any other kind of chairs that represent the perfect match that you have in mind!
Chairs and places
As you may have guessed, the chair is a universal product, like clothes, but it changes according to the person who wears it, how he/she wears it, why he/she wears it and where he/she wears it. It is impossible to determine how many seating models exist on the market and which are the most suitable for the place to be furnished, because there are many factors to take into consideration. Wooden or synthetic chairs? Coloured or monochrome chairs?
First of all, we need to consider the type of place we want to furnish and its function. A restaurant has certainly different needs than a hotel room, just as the seats in a cruise ship will never be the same as the ones we’ll find in a library. The same applies to indoor chairs in comparison to outdoor chairs or to kitchen chairs compared to office chairs.
Secondly, we need to know the space where the furniture will be installed. The products meant for a restaurant near the sea won’t have the same characteristics of the ones meant for a hotel in the mountains. It is in fact necessary to consider both the outside and the inside environment: saline air, humidity, temperature range, exposure to heat sources, snow.
On one hand, it is necessary to accurately select the materials: in case of exposure to saline air or humidity, the choice of stainless steel or of the type of wood are essential.
On the other hand, there are some other factors that can compromise the duration and the resistance of the seating, for example to exposure to heating systems or the proximity of windows which are not isolated, also the salt under the boots during winter can cause damages such as swelling, narrowing or detachment.
Last but not least, it is important to know the arrival country and its culture. Each country has its own habits, traditions, preferences. For example, in Japan, the chairs have a lower seat height and should occupy less space. In Scandinavia instead, it is necessary to pay a lot of attention to design and details, to environmental policy and safety rules.
We could write an entire book about these aspects!
The chair: U for Use it. From Concepts by Braida FUTURE protocol
As we have seen, choosing the right chair is never easy. The variables are truly infinite and change in every project and in every subject.
A house that does not have one warm, comfy chair in it is soulless.
May Sarton
This is how the poet May Sarton pays homage to the chair. It is true, the chair also represents this: warmth, tradition, simplicity, hospitality. The chair itself is the soul within a physical space, since it is the concrete expression of sitting down.
Over the years, we have seen so many things, we have experienced the most disparate situations, while learning from our mistakes and always asking ourselves the same question: is this the right product for our customer?
If you would also like to wear your chair, contact us! We will be glad to be your stylists.
