Weird chairs by Kranen Gille

The first scene in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe comes to mind – a misty portal to another plane of existence glimpsed through an ordinary household object. Like folklore or fairy tales made modern, these seven cast-aluminum seat backs are cut and layered to tell myths in a contemporary material (metal) resting on traditional (wooden) seats and frames.

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Weird chairs by Kranen Gille forest

This series of chairs by Kranen/Grille follows in a tradition of Austrian craftsmanship that involves representation and relief in architecture and furniture design, but bring in elements that make them distinctly new and unique as well – and ultimately unmistakable as artisan objects of our times.

Weird chairs by Kranen Gille narrative detail

While some of the scenes tell stories of stags in the forest, others depict architecture eclipsed by modern-day power lines or historical engineering visions of the future – a sort of blend between the present, past and an imaged vision of what is yet to come.

Weird chairs by Kranen Gille 7th

About the project:

“After our first presentation as a duo during Salone Del Mobile 2007, our first commission under the name Kranen/Gille presented itself. Gallery Priveekollektie in Heusden invited us to make a series of chairs based on the ‘Forest’ dining chair we designed earlier that year.”

Weird chairs by Kranen Gille narrative chairs

“We decided to take the opportunity to use the narrative character of the chair’s backrest as a palette to tell the (developing) story of Kranen/Gille in 7 chapters. The 4-layer laser cut backrest depicted the following:

  1. A Forest Chair
  2. A New York Chair
  3. A Coney Island Chair
  4. A Baikonur Chair
  5. An Industrial Revelation Chair
  6. A Chrystal Palace Chair
  7. A 7th Chair

All chairs are available in an edition of 12 + 2 AP”

About Kranen/Gille: