Manolo Lounger

My inspiration for the ‘Manolo lounger’ came firstly, from my admiration of Hans J Wenger and Finn Juhl who in my opinion are the two greatest chair designers that ever lived. Secondly, I stumbled upon a beautiful sketch of a high heel shoe designed by Manolo Blahnik. The elegance of the thin stiletto heel and feminine curve of the shoe inspired me to start sketching chair designs. The back legs of the chair are therefore loosely based on this sketch and led to the naming of the chair. The ‘Manolo Lounger’ is without doubt the most challenging but satisfying piece I have ever attempted to produce. I have incorporated over five different jointing techniques in the construction of the chair and there is not a single 90-degree angle in the entire piece. The seat is beveled in two directions and tapers from 12mm at the front to 28 mm in the centre. I have hand carved the top edge of the chair to follow the curve of the splayed back legs. The front legs are mirror images, with hand carved twisted details, which are also slightly splayed. Brass pin detailing gives the chair increased rigidity and pass through the arms into the back of the seat. The ‘Manolo Lounger’ was launched at the beginning of May in the Saatchi gallery London as part of the Collect exhibition and In November the chair will be displayed in the Philadelphia Museum of art.