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With a timeless design that transcends trends, Horgenglarus chairs, made in Switzerland, have achieved cult status with their unique craftsmanship in bending large pieces of wood.
What’s unusual about Horgenglarus is that some of their designs which have been in their portfolio for over 100 years are still in production today. For example, the modular ‘classic chair’, made in 1918 using the method of bentwood is not only robust and sustainable but today translates to 21st century ideals and would not be out of place around the modern-day dining table of any design-lover.
Using selected furniture designers, the company produces a surprisingly large catalogue of chairs, stools and tables all made by bending the backs, frames and legs giving them that timeless, sculpted look and feel. Varying from office chair, to dining and a more relaxed chair as seen in the ‘epos’ by Hanna Weinstein in 2007, the furniture has a skill at being able to fit into a huge variety of locations from school to church, museum to private home. Find the chairs, stools and tables across Europe in concert halls, universities, theatres, restaurants and hotels.
Switzerland’s oldest manufacturer of chairs and tables, Horgenglarus was formed in 1880; for over 135 years the company kept its name as one of the world’s best furniture makers. Perhaps the highest endorsement came from Le Corbusier himself – who used the Horgenglarus chairs in his Pavillon de l'Esprit Nouveau at the Exposition Internationale des Arts décoratifs in Paris in 1925.
From here, designs evolved from the backbone classic – with architects and furniture designers Max Ernst Haefeli, Werner Max Moser and later Hannes Wettstein creating their own take on it. Later, in consultation with a raft of creatives, a plethora of designs were formed including a minimalist stool in 1960 by Swiss graphic designer and sculptor Michel Péclard. Some designs morphed into new versions while others stayed resolutely the same.
At the axis of form and function, Horgenglarus chairs are the archetypes of furniture design – see how their prototypes influenced our seating style choices from then on.
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