How can we lie? Plastic chairs are not exactly a sight for sore eyes nor do they evoke imagery sexy languid lounging. Rather than inviting you to perch on them in comfort for the whole day, plastic chairs can easily spark memories of unwelcome camping trips, or eating lunch on your grandparent’s terrace, dodging questions into your love life. The brand Magis, however, in collaboration with Konstantin Grcic, has taken a step forward to rework the overall anticipation of the classic Monobloc chair we all know and are yet not too crazy about. But let’s take a look at their most recent product…
HAVE A SEAT
vor 4 years
Out of his twenty year long collaboration with Magis, Konstantin Grcic was granted various experiences and challenges that did not always end in the release of a product. The fabrication of the Bell Chair entailed obstacles. The initial challenge was to make a chair for 65$, and to make it responsibly. All production processes needed to be adjusted to that goal. And so, the team turned to their firm’s own resources.
Being produced solely out of recycled polypropylene from Magis’ own waste and the local car industry, the Bell chair is completely recyclable. Designers Magis and Grcic and their teams, as well as plastic manufacturers, put their combined expertise and desires into the mould for the chair. They did not always agree on the process. Konstantin Grcic had to make sure that his design remained in focus, and fortunately, he did – otherwise the Bell would have been simply yet another sticky plastic seat.
The Bell Chair can be taken as a visualization of recycling. When you recycle something, you work with products no longer in use and give them a new meaning. You basically create something from scratch – or, in this case – trash. Ideally, the result is as good as the products everybody already uses. It doesn’t hurt if it comes out even better, of course.
The Bell Chairs’ bulbous form and its matte finish evoke the feeling of a designer armchair that one could easily imagine placing inside as well as outdoors (and in various settings beyond your grandparent’s terrace). You could even go so far as to spruce up your space with a pop of color. We like the peachy tone “Sunrise”; the minimalist in your life may like the classic black “Midnight”; and the stark white shade “High Noon” will fit in nicely with any kind of decor.
What is safe to say is that the making of the Bell Chair has not only been pathbreaking for future projects of the firm itself- we support Magis and Konstantin Grcic’s focus on personal sustainability, and hope they may be an inspiration for the future of the furniture industry- but they have even changed our bias toward plastic chairs. They can be chic. Have a seat, please! You will look great in it.
For more information on the Bell Chair, click here
Text by Pia Gebauer
Images Courtesy of Magis
