UNStudio

MYchair is the first chair designed by Ben van Berkel / UNStudio and is a real architect’s chair. The architectural approach to furniture is different from that of the industrial designer: the architect begins with the space and the environment that the chair will become a part of. All the details of the chair, besides needing to be comfortable and fulfilling the normal functional requirements of a piece of furniture, are considered for their spatial effects. And, as each architect has his or her own understanding of the sort of space that they aim to generate, this architectural approach to furniture is intrinsically connected with a very personal ideology of space.

In the case of Ben van Berkel / UNStudio this spatial awareness is connected to his idea of the ‘after image’. With this notion, Ben van Berkel refers to the capacity of three-dimensional objects to produce many different impressions when seen from different angles. These multiple views and continuously changing silhouettes result in a kaleidoscopic experience, achieved in the MYchair by the faceted arrangement of the soft elements, the inward and outward curves of the chrome frame and the duo-tones of the upholstering. All these elements are carefully orchestrated, which, in the theory of the architect, ultimately creates an ‘after image’ that is rich and stimulating, yet cohesive and balanced.

The way in which the idea of the after image is incorporated in the chair in such a unified manner is through the medium of reflection. Each detail is reflected in another. Thus, the facet shapes of the soft part of the chair are echoed in the curves of the frame supporting it; the bottom is reflected in the sides; and the room itself is reflected in the polished chrome of the support frame. Reflectiveness is also found in the details of the seat and the back support, which are arranged together to enable a variety of seating positions. In this way, legs tucked under, or turning sideways, the occupant of the chair engages in the spatial game envisaged by the architect, shifting positions and thereby shifting perspectives and images.

In the eighteen months or so that it took the architect to develop the design, many people passed the drawings and models of the chair dotted around the studio. Often, their response was, ‘I’d like to have that chair. When is it ready?’ The name MYchair reflects that response and its potential to appropriate, adapt, use and customize the chair in many ways, making it truly your own.