A classic, modern design that enhances any environment, the Diamond Chair remains a fascinating study in bent metal and a fixture of mid-century modern furniture design.
In this blog, we will look at the history of the Diamond Chair, its features and ways you could incorporate this masterpiece into your home!
The History Of The Diamond Chair
When looking at any Diamond chair replica, you’d probably say it was made of wire, but its designer had a different take: “If you look at these chairs, they’re mainly made of air, like sculpture as space passes right through them,” he said.
The designer is not among the most well-known of the designers whose products we sell at Pash Classics, and his name is not as revered, but he’s still one of our favourites.
The Diamond chair was actually created while he worked for Hans and Florence Knoll. Harry arrived in America from his native Italy in 1930 at 15 when he started out with nothing. However, he learnt to become a jewellery maker in high school, eventually winning a scholarship to Cranbrook Academy of Art. There, he soon took over the metal workshop and began making sculptures from (you guessed it) wire.
The forms he produced were in the same spirit as his furniture, very much about the relationship between structure and space. Like a jazz musician, the key to Harry’s work is all about what he leaves out as much as what he leaves in.
Metal shortages during the war brought Harry’s career in sculpture to an end, but after the conflict ended, he was invited by the Knolls to become part of their studio. In 1950, he produced the Bertoia Collection, five pieces, including the Diamond Chair and the Wire Chair, sold by Pash Classics. Sold in various metals other than the original polished chrome and with a wide choice of fabric covers, they became instant bestsellers!
Perhaps no other chair allows you to create a sense of space than a Bertoia, which is also beautiful and practical.
Royalties from Knoll allowed Harry to follow his interests, and we just love what he did next! Using tall vertical rods and flat bases, he started producing “sound sculptures” that were played as unconventional musical instruments. Eventually, he filled an old barn with more than 100 sculptures, putting on concerts and even recording 11 albums.
The sound sculptures have grown in stature since Harry died in 1978 and can today be seen in the Brooklyn Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, while his recordings were reissued in a new box set.
Given the quality of his designs, it’s a shame that Harry didn’t produce more furniture, but he has our utmost respect as someone who spent a lifetime following his creative path.
A Chair Design Like No Other
The black Diamond Chair seems “made of wire and air”, and the entire collection of Harry’s iconic wire chairs was built to bring to life a range of furniture that worked with the natural light of a room.
Crafted from the interlaced chromed wire into a dramatic and ergonomic diamond shape, this chair appears light, creating a serious design statement. It is also the right height for dining tables and perfect for placing in living rooms, bedrooms or even outdoors during warmer months.
The Pash Classics Diamond Chair replica comes with a comfy leatherette seat cushion, a true icon of stylish, minimal and hugely practical design.
