Wassily Armchair
Inspired by the frame of a bicycle and influenced by the constructivist theories of the De Stjil movement, Marcel Breuer was still an apprentice at the Bauhaus when he reduced the classic club chair to its elemental lines and planes, forever changing the course of furniture design.
- CategoryArmchairs
- RangeMillerKnoll
- BrandKnoll
- DesignerMarcel Breuer
Dimensions: W787 x D686 x H730 x SH419 x AH584mm
Frame: Frame is seamless tubular steel.
Finish: Polished chrome finish. Edges of black cowhide leather are dyed black.
Detail: The KnollStudio logo and signature of Marcel Breuer are stamped into the base of the chair. Four plastic glides snap into pre-drilled holes on base of the chair
In an interview with a Knoll historian, Marcel Breuer described how he came to begin experimenting with bent tubular steel while at the Bauhaus:
“At that time I was rather idealistic. 23 years old. I made friends with a young architect, and I bought my first bicycle. I learned to ride the bicycle and talked to this young fellow and told him that the bicycle seems to be a perfect production because it hasn’t changed in the last twenty, thirty years. It is still the original bicycle form. He said, “Did you ever see how they make those parts? How they bend those handlebars? You would be interested because they bend those steel tubes like macaroni.”
This somehow remained in my mind, and I started to think about steel tubes which are bent into frames—probably that is the material you could use for an elastic and transparent chair. Typically, I was very much engaged with the transparency of the form.
That is how the first chair was made…I realized that the bending had to go further. It should only be bent with no points of welding on it so it could also be chromed in parts and put together. That is how the first Wassily was born. I was myself somewhat afraid of criticism. I didn’t tell anyone I was doing these experiments actually. [Wassily] Kandinsky, who came by chance to my studio when the first chair was brought in, said, “What’s this?” He was very interested and then the Bauhaus got very interested in it. A year later, I had furnished the whole Bauhaus with this furniture.”
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Unison is recognised as one of New Zealand market’s leading quality providers of interior commercial furniture and lighting.
Our aim is to provide design led, future proofed, quality, commercial products from world renown suppliers; to help customers create healthy, fun, collaborative, flexible and engaging environments.
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We view the workplace as an “evolution” and never a one-time event, and recognise the importance of offering flexible quality solutions within a range of products and services, allowing our customer’s investment to evolve along with their business strategy.
With over 25 years of experience in the field and access to the world’s leading products, the team behind Unison bring with them the skills, knowledge and passion to help create spaces that drive productivity and long-term value. Unison works in partnership with you on every aspect of your project from planning through to specifying, delivery and after sales support.
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Unison has exclusive distribution agreements in New Zealand with a range of world-leading international furniture manufacturers, so we can provide businesses with the right furnishing solution that best fits their needs.
The team at Unison have many years of experience working with leading suppliers, both locally and internationally. From international manufacturers such as Herman Miller, Walter Knoll, Palau, Howe, Segis, Billiani and Muuto, through to local custom manufacturing solutions.
These manufacturers specialise in their respective niches and produce the best options available in the market, this includes:
Herman Miller – workstations, ergonomic seating, meeting room tables, classic designs – Eames, Nelson.
Walter Knoll – extensive soft-seating range German designed but manufactured in Australia.
Muuto - affordable luxury - a complete collection of Scandinavian furniture and lighting
Palau – World leading manufacturer of collaborative solutions and acoustic booths..
Howe – famous 40/4 chair and elegant demountable boardroom room tables
Segis and Billiani – all offer collections of beautifully designed mixed material products for café and contract spaces.
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