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Rick Owens, Kelly Wearstler, and Playlab just redefined the chair
The exhibition '50 Chairs at Christie’s' showcases a diverse collection of innovative chair designs, emphasizing the potential for reinvention in everyday objects. This approach highlights the importance of creativity and uniqueness in brand strategy, encouraging brands to explore unconventional materials and designs to appeal to modern consumers seeking authenticity and novelty.
FastCompany: A forthcoming selling exhibition at Christie’s Beverly Hills promises to bring together 50 of the most interesting chairs in Los Angeles. Their make spans antlers, steel, balloons, cardboard boxes, and resin. 50 Chairs at Christie’s includes famous and unique designs as well as chairs that have had famous former owners. They’re colorful and unconventional—and a reminder that even the most basic piece of furniture can always be reinvented and reimagined . The exhibition is being put on in partnership with the marketplace Basic.Space, which curated the collection.
The chairs will be viewable by appointment at Christie’s Beverly Hills from September 25 to 30. Chair No. 2 by Joseph Santiago-Dieppa, Autobody Autobody [Photo: Basic.Space/Christie’s Beverly Hills] “These pieces are not united by a particular style or period—and they aren’t a group you’d usually see together,” Basic.Space founder and CEO Jesse Lee tells Fast Company .
“They’re united by being 50 of the most interesting chairs from around the world, come together under one roof, offering a new way to buy design.” Lee adds: “Some pieces are ‘collectible,’ while others are more commercial, but they’re all authentically unique and interesting.” O Stool, Estudio Persona for Basic [Photo: Basic.Space/Christie’s Beverly Hills] The eclectic offerings include an Eames LCW by Charles and Ray Eames in a rare cowhide that was contributed by the Eames Foundation , and the Gufram Pratone, a green armchair designed in 1971 to look like grass, contributed by the L.A. studio BASA. Teamwork Chair by Playlab Inc.
[Photo: Basic.Space/Christie’s Beverly Hills] Fashion designer Rick Owens crafted a Stag Stool made with an actual moose antler, and designer Kelly Wearstler, who recently launched a collection for H&M Home, contributed a hammered-brass chair by Philippe Hiquily. Stag Stool by Rick Owens, Carpenter’s Workshop Gallery [Photo: Basic.Space/Christie’s Beverly Hills] The Teamwork Chair by Playlab Inc. is a nonfunctional sculpture until two people sit on it to establish equal weight balance. Chair No. 2 by Joseph Santiago-Dieppa is made from steel vertical supports with spheres on the ends.
Popo Soft by Willett [Photo: Basic.Space/Christie’s Beverly Hills] Several of the pieces are made from unusual materials, like the blue Lounge Chair 01 by SeungJin Yang, which is made from actual balloons and resin. The Box Chair by Illya Goldman Gubin is made from a cardboard box and resin.
Bachelor Chair by NH DePass, Autobody Autobody [Photo: Basic.Space/Christie’s Beverly Hills] A full list of the chairs is still to come, but Basic.Space says it curated the sale from its network of designers, creatives, collectors, galleries, and others, and the 50 chairs it selected are meant to suggest an ethos that mixes iconic designs with original work shaping the future of design.
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The exhibition features significant designers and innovative concepts that could influence brand strategies in the design industry, making it impactful and relevant, while also presenting a novel approach to everyday objects.