It must be something to do with our inability to grow up; maybe after a childhood that has been shrunk down into just a few innocent years we’re perfectly happy with little characters dotted around the house. I confess, I have a few, but not on furniture. Here are a number of chairs aimed at the adult market but full of cartoon characters. Inevitably Mickey Mouse has got in on the act, which just leaves me wondering what they’re up to in Japan, home of Kawaii (cuteness) and of course….Hello Kitty.
Marcel Wanders Monster chair for Moooi.
Launched at Salone this year the monster’s face is a little more subtle on the finished product than from the image here; well just a little. And despite his appearance and name he is probably the softest of the group I have here, being made from soft quilted leather. Considering who he had in mind for the chair soft and comfy is entirely appropriate. If you’d like to wander through Marcel’s mind and find out the inspiration behind this chair you must have a read of his press release over on Dezeen. It is brilliantly funny.
Fury! Chair by Roel-Jan Elsinga Made from a wood and metal frame and covered in felt he’s alot softer than his spikes make him appear. He also has a secret life as Roel-Jan explains hes “a fearless little chair, that barks but doesn’t bite. Fury! is a lively and visually noisy little fellow.
But he means well. At night he walks around your space, blowing off steam, cursing a bit.
But the cheeky little f**ker has a heart of gold and is actually really really sweet, and he loves being petted…”
Jon Burgerman’s Doodle Chair for Deadgood. Jon has put his distinctive doodle scrawls to many things, this time he has been commissioned by Deadgood to produce a totally doodled version of their Form chair. With his dynamic use of colour, and a unique graphic energy, Burgerman’s doodles have been screen printed and encapsulated within a resin impregnated craft core, overlaid with melamine and subsequently pressed at high temperatures to create a highly durable surfacing material. So just in case someone should ever think of trying to wipe them off (which would be crazy) they won’t come off. Which is good if the owner suddenly found they were living with an obsessive compulsive.
If you’d like a mural to accompany the chairs Jon can also do this for you. For more of Jon’s work pop over to his website
HuskMitNavnis an artist from Denmark working mainly with street art, painting and illustration. His characters are often political, sometimes controversial but always express his humorous take on life. His limited edition illustrations on Englebrech’s classic Chairik chair feature some slightly worried looking individuals, well a I guess you’d be worried if someone was about to sit on your face….
Even that old veteran mouse has got in on the act. In a joint venture between Cappelliniand Walt Disney, Cappellini have produced a range of furniture for adults not for kids. The designs are based around the iconic ears of Mickey, on the stools they act as a back rest. On Patrick Norguet’s Rive Droite chair they’ve been worked into a repeat pattern; taken away from the rest of the range you’d could quite easily miss them as Mickey’s ears. 
One Trackback