Chair 932 by Mario Bellini
Italy, 1967

Bellini's aim in designing Chair 932 was to create an interchangeable system whereby cushions could be arranged to form a one, two or three seat chair, simply by adding further cushions and putting a longer belt around them.

Le Corbusier's Grand Contort. with its use of large unconnected cushions simply held in position, influenced this design, but his rigid frame did not allow for rearrangement or extension. There is a similar satisfaction, however, in seeing the undisguised construction of the chair.

The new and unique aspect of this design is the connecting belt. It passes through wide flat loops stitched into the leather covering of each cushion, and so their position, and therefore their function within the chair, is not inter-changeable.

This opulent chair, without any conventional structure, could be built in a traditional upholstery workshop. Bellini's design has come at a time when such luxurious shapes are in use again. Perhaps we have overcome the widespread mid-century reaction against the heavily upholstered furniture of the inter-war period, and can now again accept luxury seating of this sort.

Bentwood modern design armchair