Just Chairs: Over 600 Designs from Around the World (Paperback)

by Patricia Bueno (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Organized by period, designer and materials, respectively, thissmartly laid-out, flexibound book delivers what it promises: 6,000chairs in hundreds of color illustrations. Thonet, Wright andMackintosh; van der Rohe, Breuer and Le Corbusier; Aalto, Eames andSaarinen; Starck, Wanders and Gehry—all the big names arehere. Most of the pages feature five or six chairs shot at differentangles and dropped onto white-space pages, with tiny, caption-likeparagraphs giving their names, dates and dimensions. Purists will wishthat the reproductions were sharper and the organization moreinsightful, and some of the more recent designers may be unfamiliareven to chair enthusiasts. But those interested in surveying the fieldwill appreciate the variety of the designs pictured here, and thebook’s sleek, glossy, diverting layout may attract casual readers.
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Product Description

In addition to being a basic item of furniture to be found in any home, the chair reflects social and aesthetic changes throughout history, provides an ideal medium through which to experiment with new materials or technologies, and challenges the creativity of designers devising new ways to defy gravity's immutable laws to provide support for the human body.Through vivid photography and commentary, Just Chairs describes all facets of chairs, classic designs that have withstood the test of time to revolutionary and modern creations from young designers transforming the chair into an object of art.

After a brief introductory history of the chair, this visual history features chairs designed from the world's most famous designers including Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, Eileen Gray, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Marcel Breuer, Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, Arne Jacobsen, Harry Bertoia, Verner Panton, Eero Aarnio, Ettore Sottsass, Vico Magistretti, Oscar Tusquets, and others.

A complete and inspirational look at the too-often-overlooked machine that is the chair, the book is a charming and inspirational resource not only for interior designers but also for all those wishing to find the perfect chair for their lifestyle.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Collins Design (March 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060598468
• ISBN-13: 978-0060598464
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #274,287 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great showcase of chairs., November 18, 2006

By	Gustavo Ramirez (Monterrey, Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bernie is totally right in his description of this book, and I find it great! The first half of it is devoted to pieces from XX century and the rest to ones from century XXI. The vast majority of them are production models but there is a closing chapter about the chair as a piece of art. As a designer I find all of them very inspiring.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing selection of chairs, July 5, 2006

By	Bernie Bernbaum (Tustin, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I suppose it all depends on what you expect this book to be. I was expecting a history of chairs, with 600 pictures of the chairs. What the book consists of is pictures of 600 mostly modern chairs, essentially all factory made, and almost all made from metal and plastic.
If you're looking for pictures of chairs through time and how they developed over the centuries, look elsewhere.
Extremely disappointing book.