Space age chair
This version had added armrests and a modern audiosystem of Anthony Gall in which you could plug in your telephone, Ipod or laptop. In 2008 Aarnio brought out a new version of the Ball Chair, the Ball Chair Audio. Later the production was continued by Adelta. The Ball Chair stayed in production with Akso until the oil crisis of 1973 which restricted the whole production of synthetic materials. And to solve the problem of seclusion, Aarnio added the option of installing a phone or speaker within the chair. Both the colours of the lining on the inside and the outside fibreglass shell could be variated. The chair actually works like a room in a room the person sitting in the chair is surrounded by a globe and thus isolated from the outside world. The design was described as the ideal chair for the businessman who wants to seclude himself from all the noise at home and get some peace to read the newspaper. The orders were pouring in, already during the week of the fair from over thirty countries.Īn article in the New York Times from 1966 called the Ball Chair the most antisocial, leave-me-alone-chair in Europe, fascinating more to men than women. Every significant person had to see the chair and the Ball Chair became the most photographed object at the fair. This turned out to be an excellent move: The Ball Chair perfectly fitted the image of the Space Age era. Santalahi saw the potential of the Ball Chair to make Asko known worldwide and enthusiastically proposed to present the chair at the International Furniture Fair in Cologne of 1966. As a solution he applied a metal ring to the opening of the ball so the prototype would hold its shape.Īfter a few months looking in vain for a manufacturer, Aarnio got the opportunity to show his chair to Liro Santalahi, manager of the German branch of Asko. ‘It looked like a misshaped potato’, according to Aarnio. The construction was not strong enough to maintain its shape.
![space age chair space age chair](https://img.vntg.com/large/15978155119095/rare-model-gn2-space-age-lounge-chair-by-peter-ghyczy-germany-1970.jpg)
![space age chair space age chair](https://i.etsystatic.com/29927475/r/il/7ac972/4135920871/il_570xN.4135920871_8x3s.jpg)
Unfortunately, the first result was not as perfect as expected. After this the outside was laminated with fibreglass, finishing the outside shell of the chair. On this he applied papier-mâché, layer by layer, until he achieved the desired form. With multiplex he created a ball shaped mould. In this way he could imagine himself sitting in the chair and could thus determine the right size. While working out the design, Aarnio and his wife Pirko made drawings in a scale of 1:1 which they pinned on the wall. After making sketches he found out that the ball shape had the perfect form: because of its geometric shape it provided optimal strength with minimal use of material. The design of the Ball Chair originated from Aarnio’s search for a new version of the classic chair theme. Aarnio said at the time: ‘Design means constant renewal, realignment, growth.’ While shaping wood had its restrictions, fibreglass had great new possibilities. At heart however he was a proponent of innovation and experimented with different uses of materials, especially fibreglass.
![space age chair space age chair](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/archivesE/upload/7867/899/7867_1286917430_8.jpg)
In the beginning Aarnio designed furniture in the tradition of Scandinavian Design with natural materials. In 1962 he started his own design studio. After graduating he worked several years for Asko under head designer Ilmari Tapiovaara (1914-1999). Even though the story of the design of the Ball Chair has been romanticized as the search of Akso for an innovative chair, it was in fact Eero Aarnio himself who brought the chair to Asko.Įero Aarnio studied interior architecture and industrial design at the academy of applied arts in Helsinki from 1954-57. Akso already early on concentrated on the production of series, which resulted in the company becoming the largest furniture manufacturer in Finland.
![space age chair space age chair](https://cdn20.pamono.com/p/s/1/3/1368071_os3lmqzf5b/lampada-da-tavolo-space-age-di-k-l-anni-60.jpg)
Among them also Asko, original producer of the Ball chair. Businesses like Fredericia Stolefabrik, Republic of Fritz Hansen, Artek, Louis Poulsen and Carl Hansen & Son flourished in this time. The great popularity resulted in many export possibilities for Scandinavian furniture manufacturers. This is due to the Triennales in Milan, where Scandinavian designers won several prices, but also the first extensive design exhibition ‘Scandinavian Design’ touring the United States from 1954-1957. The international success of Scandinavian design started in the 1950s. This type of design originates in the 1930s and is characteristic for the simple clean lines, functionality and a minimalistic use of materials. Scandinavian design is the term used for the designs from Scandinavian countries which are influenced by modernism and the restrictions of the surrounding landscape.