Few items of furniture arouse such strong emotions as chairs. Chairs represent a power structure, an aesthetic and a system of rules. In this interpretation an antique, excluding chair provides a contemporary, tolerant seat for everyone.

Since childhood I have been fascinated by my family’s three-legged oak chair. The monk chair has an equilateral triangular seat with the apex pointing backwards. Three straight legs anchor the back and the arm supports.

My project deciphers the 500 years of the monk chair’s history from the technical possibilities of the present day. In the translation the apex of the seat is turned round to point forwards which gives the chair two extra legs (our own). Turning the seat round also lets those of us who are a little broader in the beam – nuns and other women – to sit in comfort.

During my study of aesthetics, construction, materials, manufacture and stackability, based on the characteristics of metal tubing, I have sought to create a trim, strong and uncluttered product. The triangular structure can be applied both to a chair or a stool which can be combined horizontally to form a bench, sofa or chaise longue. A variety of unique settings can be created in a playful and flexible manner.

The project intends to challenge old and outmoded power structures. Good design is innovative and loyal – adapted to everyone’s needs. The five-hundred year old monk has a successor in Nun.

CONTACT
madeleinenelsondesign@gmail.com
+46 (0)70 911 79 85
instagram.com/madeleinenelsondesign

THANKS TO
Mitab Produktion AB and Marcus Torstensson.