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.

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.

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.

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.”

“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: