Updating the Ladderback Chair

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Updating the Ladderback Chair

Above a French ladder back with wooden seat from the 1800's and a Danish Modern 60's? version by Hans Wegner

Ladderback chairs have been made for over three centuries, in hundreds of forms and sizes by people in many different areas of the world .. I have been asked by a potential client to make a contemporary version of the style, to go with a table they have commissioned. I started with some photos they sent me and one of my own contemporary chairs, the black one shown below ... Since, generally speaking, one can't tell much about a chair from a drawing, we start right in at full size, creating a sketch like prototype which can be refined from there ... We found our first version (top below) a little clunky and leaned back too far ... Our second version is closer and perfectly sittable, but at this point I think I could use some client feedback. I can then quickly explore various slat layouts and sizes in drawings based on the prototype. I think the chair could possibly be a little more comfortable if the splats were closer together but that will change the look ... We'll see where it goes from here ... Click the photos to enlarge them ...

Angles are too leaned back for a ladderback ... The black chair is fine with the solid splat.

Front view of and existing chair desing and the screwed together prototype

Second prototype ... closer, but still feels a little heavy .. This has taken on the feeling of an excercise in how minimal the parts can be and still hold together over time ...