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"As a maker of chairs and a fan of the form, I pick up most every book I find with the word 'chair' in the title. Lark’s new 500 Chairs is perhaps my favorite. Part of Lark Books’ beautifully presented 500 Series, 500 Chairs opens with a brief but thoughtful essay on chairs by Craig Nutt. Then it showcases chairs in a clean format: color photos, titles, dimensions, maker, and, for the most part, little commentary. Whether your tastes lean toward the traditional or contemporary, functional work or artistic interpretations, you’re likely to find inspiration in this book." - Editors Blog, FineWoodworking.com
"If you think you've seen all that can be done in designing chairs, think again. Lark Books' 500 Series steps into the furniture world with gallery photos of everything from the bizarre to the the purposely mundane in human seating ... A reader can skim the book for amusement, but you'd miss a lot if you didn't examine the photos closely. Selected by studio furniture maker and sculptor Craig Nutt, these 500 pieces are an amazing representation of the creativity and originality of the world's most innovative builders." - WoodCentral.com
"(What) sticks most in my mind after weeks of leafing through this winning picture book ... (is that) every page gives you something to consider. And each time you take a peek inside, you'll see things differently." - The National
"If you are looking for ideas for a project, an excellent source is Lark Books' 500 Series. While this series covers many craft media, woodworkers will find the most inspiration from 500 Cabinets, 500 Tables, 500 Chairs, 400 Wood Boxes, and 500 Wood Bowls. Even if you are not looking for ideas, there is much in these books to appreciate and enjoy. You will probably do lots of nodding, plenty of eye widening, some jaw dropping, and, naturally, some wincing. Each book delivers a huge quantity of outstanding work." - Rob Porcaro, Heartwood: Inside the Woodshop
"This visually packed tome [is] the perfect eye candy for any furniture aficionado." - AmericanStyle
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More About the Author
I've worked at Lark Crafts since January 2007 and had the fantastic opportunity to work on some beautiful books authored by myself and others. I made my way to Asheville, North Carolina -- where Lark is located -- by way of New York (born and raised), D.C., Chicago, and Bellingham, Washington. I now lead Lark Crafts' Jewelry/Beading team, working with an outstanding group of committed, fun professionals who participate in and support these art -- and crafting -- communities. I also do some writing in mind/body/spirit, including interviewing authors and teachers, and I'm very active in the autism community, including advocacy. I live in Asheville with my wife and son.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another Terrific Lark "500" Book,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: 500 Chairs: Celebrating Traditional & Innovative Designs (500 Series) (Paperback)
Lark Books' "500 Chairs: Celebrating Traditional & Innovative Designs" is typical of the increasng catalog of "500" books ("500 Earrings", "500 Necklaces", "500 Vessels", etc.). Each of these books is basically a compendium of color photos and a little information about the works of many contemporary artists. The way it works with all these books is, the Lark editors invite artists from everywhere to offer, royalty-free, photos of their works in return for possible inclusion in the work at hand. Then the editors pick the 500 works that they like the best and put them in the book. This formula means that costs needed to assemble the content of the books is minimal, and significant effort and resources can then be put into the production values of the books, while keeping the selling prices reasonable. It's generally a winning formula. Although all the books in the "500" series are paperback, the quality of the paper stock is outstanding and the quality of the hundreds of color photographic reproductions is also excellent. The size of the photographs is such that only one or two are placed on a page, with the result that the reader can get a very good look at the work, sometimes from multiple views. Next to each photograph is a caption that lists the artist's name, the title of the work, the materials used in the fabrication, the year in which it was produced,and a photo credit. Occasionally a short quote from an artist is also included. The only other text is a short one or two page introduction to the collection by a distinguished artist or collector or archivist. All the Lark "500" books follow this formula.
"500 Chairs", like most of the other "500 Series" books,while delightful, is not perfect. For example, there ARE discernable differences in the quality of the original photos. The photos are not done by Lark, but by the artists themselve, or by professional photographers contracted by the artists, and then submitted to Lark. So, backgrounds, lighting, composition, and, frankly, quality vary from photograph to photograph. Don't get me wrong, the editors of the book didn't let any dogs into the book. But there are differences, and not all the works have been shot to display the work optimally. Another quibble I have is with the paucity of information about the artists and the works. Often I want to know more about the artist or the piece, or something about fabrication technique that was used ("Man, how the heck did she do THAT?"). Obviously, with 500 works in the collection it is necessary to limit the amount of text information so as to maximize the size and number of photographs, and quite rightly so. But, if you want more information you'll have to get on the internet and do some research, as the table of artists in the back of the book only lists the name and city and country where each lives. The works included in the book are all by contemporaty artists. So, you will not find classic works by classic artists over time. And while the subtitle of the book speaks to "traditional and innovative designs", the actual emphasis is more on innovation and less on tradition in my opinion. Many of the pieces (too many in my opinion) are of "art" pieces that are totally unfunctional and could never be utilized as real furniture, even for special occasions. As with many contemporary artists in many fields the emphasis seems to be "look at how wacky and weird I can be" in an attempt just to be different and stand out. This is "innovation". You may love such "art furniture", but, while I find many of the pieces interesting, whimsical, or just curious, many leave me rather cold. But that's contemporary art and that's just me. Overall, the content of the book presents a terrific visual essay on the state of the best of the "best and upcoming" in contemporary chair design. As an introductory scan of what's being done on the scene today this book is hard to beat.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you make one-off furniture, buy this.,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: 500 Chairs: Celebrating Traditional & Innovative Designs (500 Series) (Paperback)
Tables are my driving force at this time, but, after seeing 500 Tables, I ordered 500 Chairs and I may just have to throw my hat into the ring, as some of the chairs represented are singularly impressive and inspirational.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BEAUTY, INNOVATION, INSPIRATION,
This review is from: 500 Chairs: Celebrating Traditional & Innovative Designs (500 Series) (Paperback)
500 Chairs is remarkable: a beautifully made photographic account of sterling furniture design by leading makers as well as brilliant newcomers. Lark's 500 series consistently outshines all competitors, and this book is no exception: It's superior in range and inspiration to other collections out there. The book was juried by Craig Nutt, and includes pieces by nearly 300 different designers. Just some of the leading ones include John Grew Sheridan, Garry Knox Bennett, Gord Peteran, Curtis Buchanan, Judy Kensley McKie, Paul Freundt, Wendy Maruyama, and Sam Maloof. I'm very pleased to have this book on my shelves, and I strongly recommend also taking a look at 500 Tables: Inspiring Interpretations of Function and Style (500 Series), which is also from Lark Books. After all, chairs and tables go together very nicely!
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