Armstoel, ontwerp Jan de Meijer 1925 - 1929

This armchair was designed by Jan de Meijer, but the date it was made is unknown. It is made out of wood and fabric. The colour palette is quite limited, muted, but that’s exactly what gives the piece its power. The woodgrain is everything, right? I mean look at the the swirling patterns, like the growth rings of a tree caught mid-dance! Each curve and knot tells a story, a bit like the knots on a well worn baseball bat. The fabric, with its worn texture, adds another layer. It’s not pristine, but lived in. You can just imagine someone sinking into this chair at the end of a long day. This is a chair as portrait, imbued with the warmth and soul of its maker. It’s all about use, material, and letting the intrinsic qualities of the medium speak for themselves. It reminds me a lot of the sculptures of Brancusi, or the furniture of Gerrit Rietveld. It’s a conversation between making and thinking.