Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The Ball Chair

    In 1963 Eero Aarnio designed the Ball Chair or as sometimes it is called- the Globe Chair. It is designed by using one of the most basic geometrical shapes- the ball, cutting a part of it and fixing it at one point.  This chair is made with Acrylic and a steel frame with leather or fabric in the inside for the cushioning.  It looks very comfortable because of its round shape. It seems cosy and warm and with a calm effect. It is like a room within a room. This chair is perfect for relaxing or reading a book. It is a very fun and young chair. This chair spins around its own axis on the base.


Eero Aarnio
“I always said firmly that the chair has nothing to do with space. The idea came from me thinking about what is the best shape for fiber glass and plastic products- a round shape”




    The Ball chair made Eero Aarnio famous straight away. It is probably the best known well finished furniture of all time and a symbol of an entire area. It is a very playful product inspite of its simplicity. It has no details at all but the whole object is a detail itself. The ball chair was just a beginning of a huge range of fiber glass based furniture. This chair is still being produced today with a high amount of production. 


    After some years, in 1968 Eero Aarnio enhanced his design of the Ball Chair and produced the Balloon Chair. He wanted light coming through his ball chair so he came out with the idea of it becoming transparent were light comes from all directions. The only suitable material for this at the time was acrylic which was heated and blown into shape like a soap bubble. A steel ring was made for the edge of the ball with a chain connected to the ceiling. Cushions were added for sitting. Like the Ball Chair the Bubble Chair also impresses the user by its originality. The Bubble Chair is often used in music videos, advertising and for fashion magazines.


    Eero Aarnios’ idea of a round seating still inspires designers of today to produce their own ‘round’ ideas. Giancarlo Zema has designed Moss a chair inspired from circles. It is a low chair with a round seating made from eco- plastic. It is a very bright colourful chair that fits perfect with the forms of nature. Different sized circles are cut all around the chair, and this makes its aesthetics very pleasing and fun. I really like the idea of  the different use of colours in the outside and inside of the object.  A coffee table was also designed to fit  as a set with this chair. Just like the idea of the ball chair, this is very unique and yet so simple. 



    What is still a ball but this time not a chair? This design we see below called Ululì-Ululà designed by Matteo Ugolini. It is a lightning collection made from painted fiber glass just like the Ball Chair. Different lace is placed on the fiber glass for a pattern and this gives a very beautiful effect when lit up. The bulb is inserted inside the middle of the ball. The look of these designs are very contemporary. There are different sized balls, some are meant to hang from the ceiling and others to be put on the floor or on a table. This idea of using a ball for a function could be used for a lot of other different designs. I can imagine storage places in a form of a ball, or a bag with zippers and also a television screen in a form of a ball were audience can see movies around it. I have no doubts that we will see more of these futuristic designs in the future. 


Bibliography:
May 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_Chair
Adelta http://www.eero-aarnio.com/8/Objects/Ball_Chair.htm
Erin Agust 6th 2013 http://www.contemporist.com/2013/08/26/ululi-ulula-by-matteo-ugolini-for-karman/
All seaarched on the 3rd of December 2013


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