DESIGN ICONS: Mr. Chair by George Mulhauser

Here at Bugaboo we consider the Bugaboo Cameleon³  to be iconic of our design ethos as a mobility brand: the embodiment of a smooth ride, clever design and extraordinary value. 

But what are the design icons that we aspire to? Well, we know one of Max’s favourites is the Plycraft Chair & Ottoman designed by George Mulhauser. The Plycraft brand as its name suggests was a plywood furniture company that started life producing a whole load of Eames Lounge Chair knockoffs, but actually managed to create its own thing of beauty – and comfort – after employing then-popular designer George C. Mulhauser Jr.

The Plycraft Chair & Ottoman, or ‘Mr. Chair’ as it was coined, is a piece of mid-century-modern memorabilia and is most often seen with a leather cushioned upholstery featuring tufting buttons – the same kind you would find on a classic Chesterfield sofa. Mulhauser designed the chair in the mid 1950s after being employed by Herman Miller, the ones that produced the Eames Lounge Chair, and what makes it so special is that it was the first reclining lounge chair created from one single sheet of plywood, not to mention the look of it. Gorgeous.

Nowadays the chair is beloved by design enthusiasts the world over. Yours truly is stalking eBay as we speak!

IMAGES

George Nelson, Edward Wormley, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, Charles Eames and Jens Risom. Playboy Magazine, July 1961.