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Functionalist "Kinderkapstoel", W.H. Gispen 1934

This children's barber chair was not meant to be pretty. Willem Hendrik Gispen was one of the most important Dutch pioneers of functionalism: the idea that the shape of a design should be  defined by the way it will be used and nothing else. To apply that idea on a chair for children, where you might expect playfulnesss and softness, is no less than a statement. The contrast with the machine-like construction could not be bigger.

The chair can swivel and the height can be adjusted by the industrial joint. The legs simply consist of four steel tubes bent from vertical to horizontal. 

The chair is fully functional with marks that fit its age and use.

This is a rare chair, which is also part of the Booijmans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam.

  • Designer

    Willem Hendrik Gispen
  • Manufacturer

    Gispen's Fabriek voor Metaalbewerking N.V.
  • Year of design

    1934
  • Country

    The Netherlands
  • Materials

    Chromed tubular steel, bakelite, vegan leather
  • Dimensions

    H: 96,5, W: 45, D: 42 cm
  • Condition

    Good
  • Price

    Sold: Germany

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