Sawyer, owner of Kit Interior Objects, recently shared her Calgary chair experience with New Home Living. Among the store’s bestselling chairs are the famous Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman and Eero Saarinen’s Womb Chair and Ottoman. In dining, the store’s most popular chairs are Hans Wegner’s Wishbone Chair and Eames Molded Plastic Chairs. “New chair designs that have staying power and aren’t gimmicky don’t come along very often so many manufacturers are introducing variations on classic designs.”

Most of their furniture is available made-to-order, in a wide variety of fabrics and finishes. Lead times vary from company to company but generally a chair takes four to 18 weeks. Kit Interior Objects keeps certain popular variations in stock, such as the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman in black leather and walnut veneer.

“We serve a pretty specific niche and our designs are well-known and time-tested so we aren’t particularly driven by trends,” says Sawyer. “If anything, we see customers who take design seriously and buy furniture they intend to keep forever, so perhaps that reflects a bit of an anti-trend!”

This fall, Kit Interior Objects will introduce Artifort, a Dutch company which produces modern furniture with a bold pop feel, including the designs of Pierre Paulin, best known for his 1960s Orange Slice and Ribbon chairs.

“Furniture is a big part of our lives, and everyone uses chairs everyday,” says Calgary furniture designer Greg Ball. “People should be as interested in furniture as they are about our clothes. I think that traditionally Calgary hasn’t been very design savvy. But this is changing as Calgary becomes a bigger city. People now have an interest in design now and refuse to buy junk for their homes.”

Across the city, Ball shops for chairs at an eclectic array of furniture stores: Kit Interior Objects, EQ3, Revolve, BLOCK, Kilian, Lula Interiors, IKEA and the antique and new and used stores in Inglewood. He favours chairs such as the Wassily Chair by Marcel Bruer; LCW Chair by Charles and Ray Eames; Swan Chair by Arne Jacobsen; Air Chair by Jasper Morrison; and Kloud Chair by Karim Rashid.

Wander over to EQ3 in Calgary’s south east and the chairs you’ll find available this fall include the Bobo Chair, the Scotch Chair, Commander Chair and the Solo. “The Bobo Chair, designed by Rick Lee, flaunts flamboyant curves with a new groove … retro style,” says EQ3 spokesperson Tara DeFehr-Tielmann. “The Scotch Chair, designed by Blake Tovin, evokes stately elegance. One of the original EQ3 chairs, the Commander Chair continues to impress with iconic form and dashing colours. One of EQ3’s bestselling seating groups, Solo displays maturity and elegance with clean lines and excellent proportions.”

Head over to Kensington and at Lula Interiors, you might fancy the bestselling Drake Chair. It’s available in over 100 fabrics, with or without arms and matching sofa, loveseat, lounge and sectional.

TRENDS
"The trend for low profile pieces is swaying back to more functional and comfortable pieces with higher backs that you can actually rest your head on while you read or watch TV,” explains Stacy Kyle of koolhaus.

“Islands in the kitchen are driving the demand for stools. There is an option to put stools at the counter or with condo spaces when there isn’t room for a dining table and chairs it makes sense to use stools. Hydraulic stools that can be raised and lowered are popular.”

At koolhaus, on 11th Avenue S.W., the bestselling chairs such as the Kate chair and bench are versions of classics like the parsons chair for dining, says Kyle.

Also available this fall, the Ted chair, with its high back, and the Alexander stool, in chrome and leather, are increasingly popular choices.

“When buying a chair, pay attention to the construction. Good quality starts with the frame. Our made in Canada signature line uses top grade, kiln dried hardwood,” advises Kyle. “This prevents warping and provides for long-lasting quality.”

She suggests the chair should be fully padded for comfort, the fabric should run the correct way around and be matched and the cushions filled with high density foam wrapped in a layer of Dacron.

“Each of these elements contributes to the strength and comfort of the chair. You will want to test the chair out, sit on it as you would at home. Don’t perch on the edge as if you were at Grannie’s house.”  NL

Buying a new chair?
Furniture designer Greg Ball offers these additional tips:

Shop around. “Like buying clothing you shouldn’t rush the purchase of furniture —it should fit you well.  Furniture is what we live with everyday, we entertain our friends on it, and we should pay close attention to that.”

Do your homework.  “Use the Internet with websites like Moco Loco, Slow Home, HouseBrand, Design Within Reach, Offi.  Don’t listen to sales people.  Educate yourself and find out what you like.”

Take your time. “Buying furniture isn’t like buying food.  You won’t starve to death if you don’t bring home your chair the first day.  Shopping is fun—slow down and enjoy the ride.”

Think green. “There are many beautiful pieces of used furniture out there in antique stores, garage sales and consignment stores.”

Avoid trends. “Only buy the furniture you can’t live without.  Just because orange is the flavour of the week doesn’t mean you have to buy it.”


What makes a chair well-designed and interesting?
●   “A well-designed chair suits its purpose whether it’s a lounge chair, a dining chair or a decorative statement chair. In most cases, comfort is crucial but sometimes looks are everything. Quality in materials and workmanship are always important. Every interesting chair is interesting for its own reasons. For instance, Harry Bertoia’s 1950 Diamond Chair demonstrated that a cold, industrial material like steel wire could be made into a beautiful, comfortable piece of furniture.”
Rachel Sawyer, Kit Interior Objects

●   “Colour, form and attention to detail. The manufacturer is important as well. If they use high quality materials, they will be well-designed and long-lasting.”
Greg Ball, furniture designer.

●   “A well-designed chair needs to be comfortable for all people, especially dining chairs where they will be used by different people. You want to be able to make it from appetizers to dessert. Side chairs should have proper support for the shoulders and the pitch (back angle) is something to take into consideration.

If it’s too far back or forward you may experience neck and back pain…

An interesting chair is all in the details such as tufting (a very big trend at the moment), top stitching, piping and what kind of leg, whether they be wood or metal. What kind of stain and the shape and size all affect the look of the piece.”
Stacy Kyle, koolhaus


For more information
Kit Interior Objects: http://www.kitinterior.com
Lula Interiors: http://www.lulainteriors.com
Greg Ball: http://www.hoodoos.ca
koolhaus: http://www.koolhausdesign.com